A/N: I know, I know. It's been awhile, but I haven't forgotten you my lovelies or this story. Please forgive me for dropping the ball! There is adult content at the end of this chapter, you have been warned. Enjoy!


Elissa was exhausted, not so much physically but more mentally worn out, the mission on Freedom's Progress had done nothing except irritate her and stress her out even more so than she already was. Looking around the CIC it was a safe assumption that everyone else was feeling not all that great either, each of her crew members looked either deep in thought or upset, though she could hardly blame them. Before they were picked up by Steve after the shuttles left, they had discovered a grisly sight. Under several tarps were the bodies of nearly three dozen children and at least half a dozen elderly adults, all with their throats slit, lying in a heap. She wished she could wipe the image from her mind, each time she closed her eyes all she could see were their lifeless bodies and faces frozen in horror.

"Ellie, are you alright?" asked Joker as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

She shrugged. "I'm not really sure, Jeff. Aren't you supposed to be flying the ship?"

"I'm letting EDI handle this one, it's only re-entering a planet," he replied with a small smile. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright, sweetheart, you haven't exactly been yourself since you arrived from that last mission."

She gave a weak smile. "This wasn't the best mission for me. We arrived too late, the colonists were shipped off planet and . . . we saw . . ." She trailed off, unable to put the image into words.

Joker understood and instead of pressing her for more details, he just held her close, peppering soft kisses on her temple and cheek. Over the years he had learned when words were necessary to help her and when she just needed to be held, though there were those occasional times when it was just better to let her beat the crap out of something. Fortunately for the crew, this was not one of those times.

"So Steve," said Joker, breaking the silence, "what did you and Ellie talk about on the shuttle?"

Steve looked up and gave a small smile. "I was just telling her that Richard and I are married now."

"You pendejo!" exclaimed James, clapping Steve on the back. "Why didn't you tell me?! I thought we were friends!"

Elissa laughed. "That's what I told him!"

"We didn't want a huge fuss," sighed Steve though he was smiling. "All we wanted was to be married, so on a spur of the moment we went to see one of the admirals on Rannoch and he married us. It was really difficult to keep it a secret for so long."

Kasumi chuckled. "Well, I guess Steve and Hadley are now with Gabby, Ken, Jacob, and Brynn in the the Normandy marriage club. I wonder who the next members will be?" She looked at Elissa and Joker, a mischievous smirk on her lips.

"It'll probably be Garrus and Tali," teased James, "or Miya and Jack. Oh! Speaking of, where is the Pink Widow?"

"I think she went down to engineering," replied Elissa, "apparently Jack was still down there when we got back from Freedom's Progress, and Miya went to see her."

"We did make sure the kinetic barriers are up down in her hidey-hole, right?" asked Joker, trying to keep a straight face though he was failing abysmally.

Elissa sighed and rolled her eyes. "I didn't even know we had any down there, truth be told. Besides, the hole in the wall was a one time thing, it was fixed relatively quickly."

"It was a pretty impressive display of biotics," admitted Kasumi thoughtfully. "Although, I don't think Miranda was all that happy to shell out the credits to fix it, I think she was jealous though."

"Of Jack getting attention from someone or the fact her biotics could tear the hull apart?" quipped Garrus, his mandibles flexing in a smile. "Speaking of Miss Lawson, what's going to happen to her now, Shepard?"

"I honestly don't know," said Elissa grimly. "From what Joker and Liara told me, this is not an easy situation, even if she does come clean. I don't think anyone on the crew would ever fully trust her again, not unless she did something absolutely amazing that erased all doubt from their minds about her loyalty."

James hung his head, he obviously was not liking where this conversation was headed and was trying to keep out of it for as long as possible. Elissa was not about to let him off the hook that easily.

"What do you think, Jimmy?" asked Elissa seriously. "You're de facto superior here, what should be done about Miranda?"

All eyes rested on James and the attention caused him to squirm noticeably.

"I think she should be kept in the AI core," he replied carefully. "While she is a friend to us all, she can't be trusted, and it'd be better if she were in a place where she could do little harm but we can still keep an eye on her."

Elissa nodded. "My thoughts exactly, James. Not only that but the crew might not react well if she were to be released, if anything she'll be in there for her own safety."

"I still can't believe Miranda betrayed us," said Garrus with a sharp snap of his mandibles. "What does she gain from keeping the information about Cerberus from us? From where I see it, she gained nothing."

Kasumi shrugged. "I guess we'll have to find out the answer to that question after Shep interrogates her."

"A chore I'm not looking forward to at all," said Elissa with a heavy sigh. "I'd much rather be focusing on my parents' wedding, or even my own, but life seems to have different plans."

Joker smirked and rubbed her shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll have the most gaudy wedding you've ever seen, complete with Asari dancers."

Elissa glared at him and the others laughed as he put up his hands in surrender.

"Still can't believe you two are getting married," said Zaeed as he rounded a corner, a glass of something in his hand. "The way Shepard went on and on about Alenko, I thought for sure he'd be the lucky sod who'd land her."

"I think everyone did," said James with a thoughtful smile to Joker. "Then again, after what Miya told me, I can't really see this working out any other way."

"What did Miya tell you?" asked Elissa with a sideways glance at Joker.

James shrugged. "Nothing much, just that Joker's been in love with you since you first met."

Joker groaned audibly and Elissa beamed.

"Don't feel bad about it, honey," said Elissa with a bright smile. "I've been in love with you for years, too."

Joker laughed, he could not help himself. "I guess Miya was right after all, we are a couple of boneheads."

"Well, I guess waiting ten years to admit you love someone is better than thirty plus," said Elissa, thinking about her parents. "Anyway, we should all probably be getting ready to land soon, I imagine there'll be last minute wedding preparations for all of us once we get back to the base."

"I'm not wearing a tuxedo," gripped Zaeed. "My armor is good enough."

"I don't think anyone's going to care what you wear, Zaeed," sighed Garrus. "Just try not to piss off the groom, he's Admiral of the Fifth Fleet."

"Like that's supposed to scare me," sneered Zaeed. "Who's he getting married to, anyway?"

"My mother," replied Elissa with a smirk. "The Admiral's my biological father."

Zaeed was silent for a few moments. "Alright, now that scares me."


The Normandy docked at the base on New Canton with its usual grace, Joker went through the final checks before releasing the airlock doors so the remaining crew members could leave the ship. They had two days of shore leave left and he was pretty sure no one besides him and Elissa wanted to spend it on the Normandy. Elissa was standing behind him, her arms draped over his chair, her fingertips grazing across his exposed ears sending chills down his spine. He wanted to tell her to stop because it was very distracting but at the same time he was enjoying the attention, it had been a while since they had been able to spend any time alone together. Something he was determined to change, quickly.

"Airlock is connected to the dock, just need to wait a moment before letting everyone off," he said as he leaned back in his chair, Elissa wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him.

She smiled down at him. "Good job, honey, as always."

"Was there ever any doubt?" he asked smugly before kissing the back on her hand. "Do you think we'll actually be able to relax for once during our shore leave?"

"I doubt it," sighed Elissa. "We spent our first day fighting mercs on Freedom's Progress, now we have a wedding to help finish, and after that we'll have just enough time for a last minute supply restock before heading God knows where."

"No rest for the wicked," said Joker with a heavy sigh.

"I'm afraid not, Jeff," she said sadly and then a small smile formed on her lips. "What do you think about our next assignment being our wedding?"

Joker grinned as he opened the airlock doors for the crew. "Sounds like a mission I can finally participate in. What were you thinking, sweetheart?"

"A small ceremony on the ship is what I've always wanted," she replied. "Nothing overly fancy, just something simple and meaningful."

"Sounds perfect," he said, still smiling. "Do you want a honeymoon or just one uninterrupted night with me?"

"The latter," said Elissa as she stroked his cheek with her thumb. "I don't think a romantic getaway is in the cards for us anyhow, do you? Besides, we both know we'd spend the entire time in bed anyway."

"I'm not sensing a problem," said Joker wryly. "Hell, we haven't been able to spend an uninterrupted hour in bed lately. If we had a whole night to ourselves I'm not sure what we'd do."

Elissa threw her head back and laughed. "You know exactly what we'd do, don't try to make it sound innocent or anything."

"Damn, saw right through that," said Joker, leaning up as best he could for a kiss which she obliged him for. "I guess for now we should just focus on getting your parents married before we worry about us doing the same."

"Yeah," sighed Elissa as she helped him out of his chair. "Come on, we'd better go before something else happens."

"What the fuck is that?!" they heard Miya yell from outside the ship.

Elissa and Joker looked at each other in a panic and as fast as they could they left the ship and stood on the dock, seeing immediately why Miya was upset: Talissa.

"This is my daughter," replied Liara tersely.

"Since when do you have a daughter?" snarled Miya.

"She's almost two months old," said Liara her grip tightening around her daughter. "She is none of your business, anyhow. I need to speak with Shepard."

Miya stepped in front of her, preventing her from gaining any ground. "She's Feron's, isn't she?"

Liara tried several times to step around Miya but was blocked each time. "Like I said before, my daughter is not your concern, Miya. Now please, step aside so I can talk with Shepard."

"No, I want to hold the baby," said Miya in a honeyed tone that Elissa knew meant danger. Fortunately Liara had known Miya long enough to recognize that tone.

"No, not now," said Liara as she caressed Talissa's head crest then she looked up and saw Elissa. "Shepard, I need to speak with you."

"Of course, Liara," said Elissa, ignoring the glare Miya was giving her. "What's up?"

"Admiral Hackett—I mean, your father, wishes to speak to you about Miss Lawson," said Liara, keeping her tone even. "He's on the Orizaba waiting for you. Oh, and when you're done speaking with him, your mother has requested that you and Miya join her in Samara's quarters so you can get ready for the wedding this evening."

"Wow, it's already been planned and everything?" asked Elissa, very surprised that the wedding had been thrown together so quickly.

Liara smiled and nodded. "Yes, I was able to arrange everything relatively quickly, and your mother approved of most of the choices. She objected to wearing a dress though and has opted to wear her dress blues instead, she expects you and Miya to wear dresses however, no exceptions. Also, your father will be officiating the ceremony."

"That's allowed?" asked Garrus. "An admiral can perform his own wedding ceremony?"

"Yes," said Liara, "there is nothing in the Alliance regulations that prohibits it, anyway, we have a great deal to finalize and not much time to do it. Shepard, I suggest going now to speak with Hackett, that way you'll have more time to get ready."

"Thank you, Liara," said Elissa with a small sigh. "I guess I'll be going then. Miya, you go find Mom and start getting ready, I'll be there when I'm done with this mess. EDI, you're going to join me with Hackett."

"Of course, Shepard," replied EDI. "I'll just message Samantha quickly and let her know the situation."

"No, EDI, I don't think that will be necessary," said Elissa cryptically. "We have enough people here to let her know where you are. I think we should head on over there now."

EDI nodded and Joker turned to Elissa with a puzzled look which she acknowledged with only a small smile.

"Alright," said Liara as she activated her omni-tool while still holding Talissa. "I have jobs for the rest of you, if you'll follow me to the mess hall, we can get started."

There was a slight grumbling as everyone except Elissa and EDI followed Liara out of the dock, even Zaeed's team of freelancers were trailing behind despite the fact they were not really needed.

'I guess Liara's more forceful than we give her credit for,' thought Elissa as she and EDI made their way to the Orizaba.


When they arrived they were greeted by Hackett's stern expression though once he saw Elissa, he permitted a small smile to break the harsh look. They said nothing as he motioned for them to enter the ship and they remained silent as they walked down the CIC, heading towards the elevator. Once they were safely inside, Hackett broke the silence.

"She'll only talk to you," said Hackett quietly, his lips barely moving. "She wants confirmation that you're alive first and then she'll answer any questions we have, but only to you."

"Why is she making demands in the first place?" asked Elissa, her Commander persona falling easily back into place.

"She has information we need and knows it," replied Hackett bitterly. "Giving into her is the only way we're going to learn anything but it's far too risky, especially since we don't know what she's capable of right now."

"So long story short, you don't want me in there with her, right?" sighed Elissa, crossing her arms.

Hackett nodded. "Exactly. You're too important to risk for an interrogation but we thought her seeing you might be enough to get her talking."

Elissa contemplated the idea for a moment, there was a possibility that it might work but she knew Miranda, she would want a person standing in front of her not just an image that could be projected just to get her talking. But Hackett did have a point, if Miranda was angry enough or was not loyal to her any longer, she might very well try to kill her when she entered the room. This was definitely a tough situation.

"I have an idea," she said suddenly. "But I need you to trust me."


The room Miranda was held in was small, barely enough room for the table and two chairs someone had decided might be necessary. She was handcuffed to her chair, nothing overly complicated, one good blast from her biotics would have taken it out with little difficulty but she was too weak and her biotics were useless right now. Whomever had kept her in her prison on the Normandy had been smart, she had been fed enough to survive but not enough to maintain her biotics, keeping them at just barely useable. She wanted to think it had been Shepard, but right now she was not even sure her friend was still alive, no one had told her anything. Maybe this was her punishment for her crimes: deaths on her conscience, the hatred of her friends, being abandoned by the one man she thought she could always count on. It was considerably less than she thought she deserved.

The door opened and she jumped slightly in her seat, she had expected someone would try again to make her spill her guts, it was about time for that again. She looked up and felt the color drain from her face as a chill crawled up her spine. Standing before her was the one person in the galaxy she had not counted on seeing.

"Shepard," whispered Miranda. "I thought you were dead."

"You're not the only one," said Elissa as she sat down across from Miranda. "How are you, Miranda? Are the guards treating you well?"

Miranda nodded. "They've treated me as well as you can expect, given the situation. What are you doing here?"

"Hackett said you would only talk to me," replied Elissa calmly, her hands folded in front of her. "So here I am."

"I didn't think . . ." started Miranda before she stopped herself. "What I meant to say was, I can't believe he actually allowed you in."

"It took some persuasion, but eventually he agreed," replied Elissa. "I'm not going to pressure you to talk either, you can when you're ready."

Miranda smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Shepard," she said softly then she took a very deep breath. "Please understand, what I have to tell you goes beyond what happened on Rannoch. I have so much to confess, Shepard, and I don't know where to start."

Elissa reached across the table and patted her arm. "Just start somewhere."


"You're sure this is a good idea?" asked Hackett as he watched the interaction through a concealed window.

"Yes," said Elissa confidently. "EDI's doing a great job so far, it's sort of scary just how good she is at being me."

"I was just thinking the same thing," said Hackett with a smirk. "I thought the minute she touched Miss Lawson that would give the game away."

"She has thermoreceptors that allow her to mimic body heat," said Elissa as she watched Miranda speak, though she could hear nothing. The entire conversation was being recorded by EDI and by other devices in the room but they could hear nothing outside, they could only watch. She had been told the purpose of this was to detect if someone was lying without hearing their words, that way an observer could not be influenced by a sad story or something of the like.

Hackett shook his head as Miranda continued to speak. "I can't believe this is actually working."

Elissa smirked, this was not the first time she had out-thought her superior, even when he was not her father. "I brought EDI here in order to record the session, I had no idea she would prove even more useful for this situation."

He nodded just as Miranda started to cry. "You should probably go, this might take a while and you still have to get ready for tonight."

"Hello Pot, I'm Kettle, I don't believe we've met," teased Elissa. "I think we should both go and get ready for tonight, EDI's more than capable of watching herself and you have plenty of guards here."

Hackett let out a long sigh and shook his head. "You're right, you're right. We have a wedding to get to and not much time left before it's supposed to start." He tried to straighten his shirt but his hands were shaking so terribly, it only wrinkled more.

Elissa reached over and took his hand. "Dad, there's no reason to be nervous. This day's been a long time coming."

"I know, I know," said Hackett squeezing her hand. "I never thought I'd be getting married again, and to the woman I've always loved. Seems too good to be true."

"Well it isn't," replied Elissa sternly. "This is exactly what you and Mom deserve, and I'm glad to be a part of it."

"I am, too," said Hackett fondly and with a nod they departed the room together, still hand in hand.


Elissa leaned against the wall of the elevator, she had just arrived back at the Normandy and was heading to Samara's old quarters where her mother and Miya were getting ready for the wedding. This had been the first chance she had had to breathe in over a day though she was finding it difficult to relax, all she could think about was Freedom's Progress and Miranda, neither of which was what she wanted to focus on right now. She tried to turn her thoughts to the upcoming wedding but nothing she did seemed to distract her mind from her troubles. When she exited the elevator, she walked straight to the starboard observation lounge, with each step she mentally put more distance between her thoughts and the present. She was not going to ruin this night for her parents, she was not going to let what happened affect her family more than it already had.

"There you are!" exclaimed Miya as she entered the room, half in her dress, half out. "I thought you were going to leave me here to suffer all by myself!"

"Suffer?" asked Elissa, looking to her mother who merely rolled her eyes. "Did Mom try to give you a manicure or something?"

Miya nodded sternly as she pulled her dress up. "She's already making me wear this dress and now she expects me to look even more girly!"

Elissa examined the dress her friend was going to wear, it was a blood red, strapless dress that barely went to her mid thigh, to say it was "girly" was a great stretch of the imagination.

"I'm guessing she objected to heavy eye make-up?" asked Elissa as she accepted her dress from her mother and Miya sighed dramatically.

"Yes, she did!" said Miya as she threw her hands up in the air. "It's not often that I wear make-up, Lizzie, don't you think I should be able to wear what I want?"

Hannah groaned as she put on her dress shoes. "I told you, Miya, you can wear the make-up you want just don't make yourself look like a hooker!"

"I never look like a hooker, Mom!" sighed Miya as she opened her make-up bag but she stopped her protesting when Hannah gave her a fierce look. "But, this is your wedding, and if you want me to look like a respectable woman I will. Though Jack won't like it much."

Elissa smiled as she started taking off her clothes, it was always amusing to watch her mother and friend interact, it really was like they were family by blood and not just by friendship. She slipped into the black dress she recognized as the one Kasumi had given her a few years ago when they had gone to Bekenstein to retrieve Keiji's greybox, and she was surprised she still had it. She had thought Kasumi had taken it back sometime before they parted ways after the Collector base.

"Where did you find this, Mom?" asked Elissa as she pulled the straps up onto her shoulders.

"Your friend Kasumi brought it to me," replied Hannah as she adjusted the medals on her jacket. "She said it was yours from a few years ago and that she kept it safe for you, like she did your other things."

"Like my books and other personal items too precious for storage?" asked Elissa with a smirk as she adjusted the material. "It was nice to come back on board and see my things after breaking out of prison."

Hannah smiled as she started brushing her hair. "I'm glad you were able to keep those treasures of yours. Someday you'll be able to pass those on to your own children."

Elissa smirked and rolled her eyes. "I think children are pretty far off for Jeff and I, we aren't even married yet. I'm trying to take it one major life change at a time."

Miya snorted. "Since when have you taken things slow, Lizzie? You were on Alenko like white on rice the minute you saw him."

"I was not!" protested Elissa. "And if I recall, he was the one who made the first move."

"Yeah, I guess he did," agreed Miya with a devilish gleam in her eyes. "It was kind of weird for him to stay in the medbay with you while you were unconscious after Eden Prime."

"While I agree with Miya," said Hannah lightly as she smoothed the hair framing her face, "I think we should move away from this topic and to the one where Elissa sits still so I can style her hair."

"I don't want it styled," sighed Elissa as she took out the bun at the base of her neck. "If anything, I'd rather have it back to how it was before."

Miya smirked. "You mean barely to your shoulders, right?"

Elissa nodded. "I had it that short for years and now that it's grown out, I miss it. I didn't plan on it getting this long in the first place, I just kind of forgot to get it cut back to how it was."

"Do you want me to cut it?" asked Miya, already pulling the scissors out of her bag. "I did it the first time back in N-school, remember?"

"Yeah, I do," said Elissa with a laugh. "It was getting a little too long to be free flowing so you cut it so the DI couldn't. I probably would've ended up looking like a varren chewed my hair if he had."

Hannah let out a loud laugh. "You could never pull off that look, honey, not even when you were a kid. I still have those holos, by the way."

"They had better not end up in Jeff's possession, Mother," said Elissa sternly, giving her mother a serious look.

"Don't worry, they won't," sighed Hannah as she stared at herself in the mirror someone had brought in for her. "Do I look alright?"

Miya and Elissa shared a look.

"Of course you do, Mom," said Elissa with a watery smile. "I've never seen a better looking woman."

Hannah smiled and then looked at Miya for confirmation of Elissa's statement.

"Trust Lizzie, Mom," said Miya kindly, "you look absolutely amazing."

"Thank you, girls," said Hannah, now beaming. "Now, let's get you two finished up, we have a wedding to attend."


Joker fidgeted in his chair, trying to find a comfortable position in this metal chair he had been forced to sit in, silently wishing he had brought a pillow or something to sit on since this chair design was pressing hard on every bone possible. Beside him he saw he was not the only one fidgeting but his companions were shifting for different reasons. Garrus did not appear comfortable in his dress blues, Liara was trying to stop Ali from fussing, and even up at the front Hackett was shifting around. That one was understandable, he was clearly nervous to be getting married again, and Joker could sympathize. Every time he thought about getting married to Elissa he felt this rush that made him feel both sick and excited at the same time, a feeling he was very familiar with when it came to her.

"When is this wedding supposed to start?" mumbled Garrus as he pulled on his collar.

"It's supposed to happen in a few minutes," replied Liara quietly. "Just be patient, no one's running late or anything."

He had to keep from laughing, Garrus had been known to be able to stay perfectly still in the most awkward positions with a sniper rifle primed and ready to go and never complained. Now here he was, practically begging to be released from the confinement of his clothes and the small chair he was sitting in. This was way too funny.

Suddenly the sound of classical music filled the mess hall and Hackett gave the signal for the guests to stand, which they all did though not in perfect unison. Joker looked down the aisle and was barely able to hold back a snicker. Miya was walking down first in an outfit that would better qualify as a scarf than as an actual dress, she was also wearing very high heeled shoes and her signature heavy make-up had been reduced though not by much. Joker had a suspicion that both Hannah and Elissa had been required to persuade her from looking like a dancer from Omega. She was also carrying a small bouquet of wildflowers in front of her abdomen, a surprising item since most flowers grew only on garden worlds now. The pink-haired woman walked down the aisle with a bright smile and when she came walking past Joker, she made like she was going to kick him but stopped. He flinched in response and she kept on walking with a smug smile. She came to a stop in a spot opposite of Hackett and she turned her eyes down the aisle where Elissa was now walking down.

Joker also looked and saw Elissa, his heart nearly stopped at the sight of her. She was walking down the aisle in a black dress that he immediately recognized from her mission with Kasumi, and she still looked absolutely stunning in it. Her make-up was much more understated in comparison to Miya's but he thought it was absolutely unnecessary, though he could not deny that she did look beautiful with it on. She also had on a pair of sensible black high heels and was carrying a bouquet of wildflowers as well, but that was not what had most people gawking. Her once long hair, grown out during her recovery after the war, was now back to its original length which was just a couple of inches past her jaw. This was how she had looked when they had first met and when he had fallen for her, this new look was really trying his self control not to just grab her, run out of the room and take her.

When she came by him, her hand shot out and grabbed onto his, giving it a brief squeeze before she let go in order to continue walking up to where Miya was standing. She turned to the crowd with a dazzling smile, her eyes resting on Joker completely and he felt his knees go weak, and not from his disease this time. He silently thanked every god he could think of for putting Elissa in his life that day way back in N-school.

The music shifted to the familiar wedding march and all eyes were now focused on the bride as she started the long walk down the aisle. Joker was surprised at Hannah's appearance, though not completely floored like he had been when EDI had transferred into her mobile platform. The admiral was wearing her dress blues, the medals she had been awarded throughout her long Alliance career shining in the florescent light almost as brightly as the smile on her face. Her red-brown hair, so much like her daughter's, was pulled back in a braided bun with very few fly-aways in comparison to whenever Elissa had put her hair in a bun. She too was carrying a bouquet of wildflowers though it was slightly larger than the other ones, and Joker could tell from where he was sitting that it was trembling slightly. Maybe she was just as nervous as Hackett was.

Hackett smiled when he saw her and extended his hand to her when she was close enough and she quickly accepted his touch. They stood before each other for a few moments just staring at the other as if they were both expecting this moment to abruptly end, when they were satisfied it would not, they nodded.

"Thank you all for being here," said Hackett, motioning for everyone to sit down. "We're going to do this a little . . . unconventionally. Something that seems to happen a great deal in our family." He turned to Elissa for a moment before continuing. "Anyway, just bear with us as we perform this ceremony. This is our first time."

Laughter rippled through the crowd which quieted down as Hannah cleared her throat.

"Steven James Hackett," she said clearly though a little shyly, "when we first met back in OCS, I had no idea that you would impact my life in so many ways. You have been my friend for more years than I can count on both hands, a gift I never expected. You also gave me another gift, one neither of us expected to share: our daughter, Elissa. She is the result of the love between us, a love that knows no bounds, and one that has only grown over the years. So to you, I declare my love and devotion, my friendship and support, and all that I am to you and only you for as long as you'll have me."

To his surprise, Joker felt tears sting his eyes when Hannah finished her vows and he quickly wiped them away with the corner of his sleeve, not wanting anyone to notice that he was getting weepy at his mother-in-law's words.

Hackett was having a harder time not crying and he cleared his throat rather loudly before he started his own vows.

"Hannah Marie Shepard," said Hackett, trying to keep his voice calm, "you have been my guiding light and port in the storm since we first started serving together, and long after I fell in love with you. You gave me a reason to keep on fighting, to never give up no matter the odds, to find hope even in my darkest hour. We have fought through so much in order to reach this moment, and I look forward to continuing the fight with you at my side. To you, Hannah, I give myself to you as I am."

"I accept you," said Hannah happily as she slid a gold band on his finger, then she cupped his cheek and ran her thumb down the scar that cut through his lips.

"And I accept you," said Hackett sincerely as he took her left hand and slid a thin gold band down her finger. "By the power granted to me as Admiral of the Fifth Fleet of the Alliance military, I now pronounce us, finally, as husband and wife."

"You can kiss me now!" laughed Hannah as Hackett wrapped his arms around her waist and claimed her lips in a surprisingly passionate kiss.

Everyone in the room stood on their feet, clapping and cheering, Joker let out a very loud wolf whistle to which everyone laughed at. When Hannah and Hackett finally came up for air, they both appeared to be blissfully happy, and then Hackett gave a signal to Liara that now was the time to start the party.


"To Hannah and Hackett!" said Joker loudly as he raised a glass of champagne, an arm securely around Elissa's waist.

"To Hannah and Hackett!" repeated everyone within earshot and then they all took a sip of their drinks, or in Miya and Elissa's case, drained their glass.

"I need another!" shouted Miya as she scanned the room for a tray of drinks.

"Babe, relax," sighed Jack before kissing her deeply. "I have a bottle of Kentucky whiskey in my room, we won't be running dry tonight. I'll go get you another drink to hold you over though." She then kissed Miya again before going off in search of something to satisfy the infiltrator's need for alcohol.

"Must. Resist. Urge. To. Make. Joke." said Joker, taking several deep breaths to try and keep from laughing. "Not resisting well!"

Elissa rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek. "You look good in those dress blues, Mr. Moreau," she whispered, purposely breathing heavily on his ear and she felt a shiver run through him.

"And I want to tear that dress off of you, Mrs. Moreau," said Joker in her ear with a low growl. "When can I steal you away to ravish you all night long?"

His words sent heat instantly to her core and she had to stifle a groan, just the thought of his hands roaming over her and pulling her dress off . . . she quickly downed another drink. Suddenly this whole party seemed rather annoying and boring, she would much rather be in her cabin, tangled up in bed with her husband-to-be, free from this damned dress. She thought that she might be able to excuse herself and Joker from the party early, maybe.

"Shepard!" called Ken as he approached, Gabby by his side. "I just wanted you to know, my family's alright. They're alive and so are Gabby's."

Elissa smiled brightly, she was relieved to hear this news. "I'm so happy to hear that," she said and embraced them both. "I've been worried since we left Rannoch that we might have lost family members."

"Reports are still premature but I think most survived," replied Gabby, gripping onto her husband's hand as if her life depended on it. "The families are all scattered across the planet so we aren't able to get ahold of everyone right now, though I expect we will soon. We thought you should know that you saved a lot of lives that day on Rannoch."

"Thank you," said Elissa with a watery smile. "I needed to hear that."

Ken and Gabby smiled at her before walking away, heading back into the fray of the party, leaving Joker, Elissa, and Miya together in their little corner.

"You know what I didn't need to hear?" asked Miya bitterly as she stared into her empty glass. "That Liara has a fucking daughter now. I mean, what the hell?! She told me she wasn't going to want a child for at least another century! Work on her career my ass, she just didn't want a child with me! She'd rather have one with that lowlife bastard, Feron!"

Elissa and Joker were both secretly grateful that neither Jack nor Liara were within earshot at this particular moment in time, this would not have ended well if they were.

"Where is Feron, anyway?" asked Miya as she slammed her glass on the nearest table. "Is he still on that piece of shit spaceship Liara had rebuilt?"

"Last we checked he was," said Elissa with a slight shrug. "He's somewhere in the Kepler Verge cluster. We were possibly planning on heading there after we were done here but nothing's certain yet."

Miya snorted. "Well, even though her father's a double-crossing bastard, the little girl is cute. She'd be cuter if she was mine, though."

"You and Jack will have a cute baby someday," said Joker, grinning at her. "And it'll have your pink hair and Jack's attitude and we'll all be hiding whenever it comes around."

"You're such an ass, Joker," huffed Miya but she was smiling nonetheless. "I should probably go and find Jack. Or alcohol. Maybe alcohol first, then Jack."

"Just don't get too crazy on us," laughed Elissa, leaning into Joker. "No fights, we're not ruining this for Mom."

The only indication that Miya heard her as she walked off was a weak little wave before she disappeared into the crowd.

Joker chuckled warmly. "That girl hasn't changed at all."

"Says you," scoffed Elissa. "She liked you right off the bat, she hated me."

"I'm just wonderful like that," said Joker, kissing her softly. "Have I told you that I love you lately?"

Elissa shook her head. "Not since yesterday."

"Then I'm a bad, bad man," said Joker with a slight grin before kissing her again. "I love you, Ellie."

"I love you too, Jeff," said Elissa quietly. "I can't wait to be your wife."

Joker smiled and held her tighter. "Neither can I."


The party went on and appeared to have no end in sight, though no one seemed to mind whatsoever. The crew had the news they had been dying to hear: their families were safe for the most part, and their commander was going to live to fight another fight. There were plenty of reasons to party tonight. Hannah and Hackett were enjoying themselves immensely, they were talking with everyone that came up to speak with them, dancing together to several different songs, and were having an all around good time. Elissa was pleased to see her mother and father so happy, she had rarely seen either of them smile and laugh this much in her entire life, and she was glad they were finally together. It amused and surprised her that when she would glance over at her parents throughout the night, they both looked like the last 30 years had never happened, they were still those starry eyed 20 year olds that had fallen in love so long ago.

Even though she was enjoying the party, Elissa was growing restless. She desperately wanted to be alone with Joker and able to enjoy some alone time with him but that scenario was becoming more and more unlikely the longer the night went on. She had a feeling that when it was her turn to have a wedding and reception, it would be almost impossible to get away from the crowds.

"Attention everyone!" said Hackett loudly from atop a chair. "Attention!"

The room quieted down and all eyes were on him.

"I wanted to take this time to do two things," he said in a slightly lower voice. "First, I want to thank everyone who made this day possible, especially Dr. Liara T'soni, who's quick thinking made this evening possible."

There was a round of polite applause before Hackett continued.

"Second," he said once everyone was quiet again, "I'd like to take this opportunity to ask my beautiful daughter for a father-daughter dance, since I'm pretty sure I won't be able to make it to her wedding."

There was some louder applause as some of the crew started pushing Elissa towards where Hackett was standing and she walked the last few steps herself, smiling and blushing as she did. She looked at Hackett whom was smiling at her and he extended his hand to her which she took. He placed a hand on her back and she placed one on his shoulder, their joined hands extended slightly to the side and when they were ready, Hackett gave the signal to Liara and the music started. Elissa recognized it as one from her mother's collection of old Earth songs, this one was by a female country singer though the name escaped her at the moment. As the song progressed, she had the strangest sense of de ja vu that she had danced to this song before with Hackett though she could not remember when.

"Do you remember the last time we danced to this song?" asked Hackett, his blue eyes misty.

"Kind of," replied Elissa softly. "Though not really."

Hackett nodded. "Understandable, you were only six or seven at the time and it was just something we did one afternoon when the three of us were together."

"Then how do you remember it?" asked Elissa as Hackett twirled her.

"All fathers remember the day they teach their daughters to dance," said Hackett simply as they glided across the dance floor.

Elissa smiled and let Hackett lead her across the floor, the memory taking shape in her mind's eye though not with as much clarity as she had hoped.

'Are you ready, Elissa?' came Hackett's voice, though Elissa saw that he did not move his lips.

'Yes!' exclaimed a seven year old girl.

Hackett and Elissa stopped dancing, they both turned and saw a holo of them from years ago being projected at the dance floor, their digital forms appearing almost solid. Elissa was stunned to see this, she had no idea this existed and could not tear her eyes from the scene as it played out as if from a dream. Hackett squeezed her hand and grinned, he must have planned this from the start.

'Okay,' said Hackett's holo image. 'Put both of your feet on top of mine and hold onto my hands the whole time.'

'I won't fall, right?' asked Elissa's image, her arms crossed as she looked up skeptically at Hackett.

Hackett's image smiled down at her. 'Of course not, I promise I won't let go.'

Elissa's image smiles, several baby teeth missing and she nods, her long hair rippling like a waterfall. 'Okay, I trust you.'

The scene faded away and Elissa looked up to see her mother closing her omni-tool, a huge smile on her face. She then looked at Hackett, his smile similar to her mother's and she then heard the applause starting all around them, it was much louder than before. Hackett turned to her and shrugged as if he was not sure why they were clapping or what they were clapping at.

Elissa could have cared less at that point about what the crew had found applause worthy, all she knew was she had to tell him something he needed to hear. "I love you, Daddy," she whispered and then before he could react, she pulled him in for a crushing embrace, as if trying to make-up for all of the lost years.

"I love you too, Elissa," he whispered back as he returned her embrace. "I'm so sorry for being such a fool. Thank you for forgiving me."

"Always," replied Elissa as they pulled away. "I think Jeff and I are going to turn in now, shore leave ends tomorrow afternoon and I really want to spend some time with him."

Hackett chuckled. "I understand, just make sure to say good bye to your mother before you and he head off to your cabin."

Elissa smiled and hugged him one more time before going off in search of her mother and fiance.


Several minutes later, the door to the elevator closed behind Elissa and Joker, a few seconds later, they reached for each other like they had not seen each other in years. It was not certain whom made the first move, all they cared about was that it was made and they were enjoying the closeness. The entire ride up, they did not let go of each other, only breaking contact when they needed to come up for air which was not very often, unsurprisingly. When they were finally at their quarters, Joker's jacket was undone and hat was in his back pocket and Elissa's dress was barely staying on her shoulders, which made walking slightly more difficult. They quickly entered the room and when he was sure the door was closed, Joker threw Elissa up against the nearest wall and claimed her lips again in a searing, passionate kiss.

Elissa moaned against his lips, allowing him to take control from her, something she did not mind in the slightest. There was something incredibly sexy about being treated as just a woman and being slightly dominated by a man instead of doing the dominating, which is something she did often in her everyday life. Now being pushed up against a wall with the love of her life pressed against her, his hands and lips on her body was turning her on in so many different ways, her head was spinning and she was not sure which way was up. She could feel his hands working her dress down her shoulders, his touch leaving a trail of fire across her skin in contrast to the cool air of the cabin. His lips replaced his hands, his beard sending chills across her body as he kissed and sucked every inch he could reach, making her gasp and moan in pleasure. He could play her body like a fine instrument, touching and caressing her in such a way that created the music of her erratic breaths and loud moans.

"A little eager, are we?" he whispered in a husky voice, his breath hitting her neck and sending waves of warmth down to her core.

She moved her thigh up to his groin and felt his hard member pressing against his zipper. "You're one to talk, Jeff."

He moaned as she kept rubbing his throbbing erection. "So I find you attractive, since when is that a crime?"

"Only attractive, huh?" teased Elissa as she pulled her arms out of her dress, the garment now exposing her everything above her waist.

Joker looked at the newly exposed skin and unconsciously licked his lips, he loved seeing her body, no matter how many times he saw her naked it was never enough. Every contour, every scar, every swell he knew intimately and never grew tired of seeing, he had traced each and every one of them committing them to memory. He could not wait to slide that dress down all of the way and have her body wrapped around his.

"God, Ellie," he breathed, tracing her breast through her bra. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Elissa chuckled nervously, she always felt a little embarrassed whenever he said something like that. "That's certainly saying something," she said in a strained voice.

Joker smiled at her, then leaned down and kissed her softly. "It really is, Elissa," he said in a deep voice, his passion getting the better of him. "Now, let me see the rest of you."

He reached down and pulled on her dress, only to have her stop him. Joker looked up with a puzzled expression which she met with a sheepish look, there was obviously something on her mind.

"I . . . I . . . think we should wait until we're in bed," she stammered, her hands keeping his just above her waist.

"Why? We were practically naked in the elevator," he said making another attempt to push her dress down and she stopped him again. "Ellie, what the hell is wrong? I'm about to get a nosebleed here."

Elissa released a shaky breath. "It's just . . . I don't want you to see my scars."

Joker's eyebrows practically shot into his hairline, she had never been self-conscious about her scars before, and she had some large ones. "Honey, I have kissed and licked and touched every scar on your body," said Joker, emphasizing the point by kissing the scar on her shoulder. "What's wrong with the ones on your legs?"

"The new one from the polonium round is ugly," she said, her voice shaky and quiet. "It's worse than the one on my calf, it looks like a varren took a large chunk out of my leg. It's the same on both sides of my thigh."

"Oh, Elissa," sighed Joker, moving his hands on top of hers, feeling her tense underneath him. "There is no way one scar could turn those long, sexy legs of yours ugly, nor make me find you less attractive."

Elissa worried her bottom lip, contemplating his words. They made sense and she knew it but that still did not calm her nerves nor make her feel any less self-conscious. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her like this, but it could not be helped, and she wished she had just let him take off her dress without making a scene.

Joker seemed to sense her distress and walked away from her then turned so his back was fully visible to her in the light coming from her empty aquarium. Taking a deep breath he reached down and pulled off his shirt, the cold air mingling with his hot skin making him shiver just slightly. He said nothing and he did not turn around though he could feel her eyes boring into his back, looking at exactly what he had wanted her to see.

On his back he had a huge, wide, white scar that ran from the top of his spine down past his pants' waistline. This was the result of Cerberus's tinkering with his disease, trying to strengthen his back and chest so he could support his upper body. His legs looked like hell but this was the worst scar he had on his entire body, one he was very careful to conceal even from Elissa, usually by making sure he slept facing her or dressing before she was awake. He stood there, exposing his biggest physical insecurity to her to show that her own did not bother him whatsoever though now he was starting to rethink his entire idea. That is until he felt her hands on his back.

He stood there as still as he could as her hands glided over his back, shoulders, and scar her nails dragging lightly across his skin. Her lips soon replaced her hands as her arms wrapped around his waist, pressing his half-clothed body against her now completely naked one and he could not suppress the moan that escaped him when he felt her breasts against him. There was no better feeling than having her warm skin on his.

Carefully Joker spun around so he was facing Elissa before wrapping his arms around her as best he could, leaning down so his forehead pressed against hers.

"See?" he said softly. "Everyone has something on their body they want hidden."

"I'm sorry," she replied, not meeting his eyes. "You must really think I'm stupid."

Joker chuckled warmly and lifted her chin so she was looking at him. "No, I don't think you're stupid, Ellie. I think you're the most wonderful, caring, beautiful woman I've ever known and nothing you do to your body, deliberate or otherwise, will ever make me see you otherwise."

This made Elissa smile and she quickly brought her lips to his in a soft kiss that quickly deepened when he ran his tongue across her lower lip. She eagerly opened her mouth to his probing tongue and soon they were entwined in a familiar dance for dominance as Joker started guiding her towards the aquarium, an idea forming in his mind. When they reached the aquarium, Joker broke their kiss and flipped her around so she was now pressed up against the very cold glass, causing her to gasp rather loudly. He chuckled in his throat as he started taking off his the rest of his clothes, making quick work of the offending garments. Then he took a step back, taking in the glorious sight of Elissa's naked body in such a sexy position. He glanced down at her thigh and saw the scar she was upset over: it was rather large and did look like something had bitten a hunk of skin, though it did not bother him. This was a part of the woman he loved and he had been honest when he said this kind of thing would never bother him, he just accepted it as part of her and nothing else.

"Jeff," she growled, bringing him from his thoughts. "If you don't do something soon, I swear to God, I will throw you down on this floor and ride you so hard your pelvis will shatter."

Joker moved forward and cupped her breast, pinching and rolling her nipple between his fingers. "Is that a promise?" he asked as she moaned again and she nodded which made him grin.

He then released her breast and maneuvered her so she was resting against her forearms on the glass and her ass was sticking out in the prime position. As much as he wanted to tease her from this position, his painful member and her narrowed eyes told him that could wait for another night. Right now was about satisfying their need for intimacy as quickly as possible.

With one swift motion, he buried himself to the hilt, making them both cry out in pleasure before Joker started thrusting with deep, powerful strokes. He gripped onto her hips to help stabilize himself as he could feel the whole world slipping from underneath him as he gave into his primal desires, rocking her hips against his as he felt his release build. In this moment, there was nothing in the rest of the galaxy except him and Elissa, not to mention the coiling feeling at the base of his spine. Pretty soon he felt Elissa tightening around him and that was enough to push him completely over the edge, releasing into her with a guttural groan that mingled with her surprisingly loud moan. Joker leaned forward and rested his forehead in the middle of her back, struggling to regain his breath and banish the stars that exploded in his eyes.

"After that, I don't think I can walk," said Elissa with a breathy laugh.

"Did you say that to get some sympathy?" asked Joker, placing several light kisses on her back before pulling out of her. "I did say after all I would rock your world."

Elissa smiled as she stood up, her legs feeling like jelly so she turned around and pressed her back against the glass for support. "I'd say my world has been considerably rocked," she panted, glancing away when she saw how Joker was looking at her.

In a few steps he had her in his arms again, their bodies pressed against each other, heartbeats going as one. Joker leaned down and kissed her, stealing what little breath she had away as she melted into his embrace, her head spinning once again. While still kissing her his hand trailed down her torso, over her hip and to her scarred thigh, bringing it up and hooking it around his waist as he ran his thumb across the torn flesh. She tensed when he touched it but then quickly relaxed as he deepened their kiss, he certainly knew what to do to make her feel completely at ease.

"I love you, Jeff," she whispered against his lips as if it were a prayer. "I wish you knew how much."

"I love you too, Elissa," he said, brushing his lips against hers. "How about you show me just how much you do?"

Elissa rolled her eyes playfully at the wicked grin that spread across his lips, he certainly was very persuasive. She untangled herself from his embrace and took his hand, leading him to the bed, unable to keep herself from smiling right back at him, it was as contagious as laughter. She backed up until she felt the edge of the bed against the back of her legs and let herself fall onto the mattress, Joker tumbling carefully on top of her so as not to hurt himself, and when he was settled between her legs she wrapped them gently around his waist. This night was far from over, and if they had known what was waiting for them in the morning, they would have tried to keep this night for much longer.