A/N: Two more chapters to go! Thank you all for sticking with this story, you have no idea what it means to me. Enjoy!


"Approaching destination, prepare shuttle for disembark," said Joker though at this point his voice was hollow and very much not his own. This was hardly the place he wanted to be but he knew they did not have a choice in the matter. "Quaes, please tell me that Shepard is in your special goo suit."

"Yes," replied Quaes through the console. "She seemed in decent enough spirits. Should be enough to protect unborn offspring from hostile environment."

"Let's hope so," sighed Joker as he fixed his hat even though there was no real reason to, he just needed something to do with his hands at the moment. He looked over at EDI and saw her fiddling with a metallic cross that Ashley had given her a while ago. Apparently the AI had asked her about religion and God and other things that hardly anyone onboard the Normandy would know well except for her; as a result of the talk, EDI had taken to wearing the cross.

"You'll break it if you keep playing with it," teased Joker half-heartedly.

EDI abruptly dropped the pendant. "Forgive me, Jeff, I was just thinking. And praying."

Joker raised an eyebrow. "You pray now? What spurred this?"

"Ashley said I must look after my soul as much as my physical needs," replied EDI as she pressed a few buttons. "I thought that praying would be a good way of achieving such a balance where there was none before."

"Fine, just don't expect me to join you," sighed Joker as he watched the shuttle leave, only one crewmember registering on its thermal scans. "On second thought, I just might."


'This is utter bullshit!' roared James as the feed from the Citadel switched back to the regular news. 'Udina is supposed to be dead! L2 shot him.'

Kaidan looked as if he was going to pop a vein in his head he was so angry. 'What the hell is going on here? And who the hell is the Council to demand that Shepard surrender herself and the Normandy? Last I checked, only the Admiralty can do that.'

Elissa cleared her throat and stepped forward. 'You're forgetting that I was a Spectre, but during my recent trial I was stripped of both my Spectre status and my rank in the Alliance. Technically the Council can call me in without the approval of the Admiralty but it seems that with this new treaty, they can do whatever they like no matter to whom I belong in the greater scheme of things. These last few months, Joker and myself are fugitives on the run with a stolen ship, stolen command, and hostages. When I turn myself in, it's likely I will be sentenced to death, no matter what clout I might have gathered during my time as a Spectre and an Alliance soldier.'

Joker blanched at the idea. 'No way, Ellie, we are not about to let you turn yourself in. Not while we're still breathing and can fight against anything in our way.'

Ashley came up and put a hand on her shoulder. 'I knew the situation was desperate but I didn't realize . . . Skipper, I don't care what it takes, but I will not see you thrown into a death chamber. I don't care if I never see Earth or my family again, I will make sure to stay and fight for you no matter what.'

'Ash,' said Elissa, her tone kind yet concerned. 'I appreciate this, but—'

'No buts,' interrupted Kaidan, standing beside Ashley. 'This isn't the first time we've mutinied against the Council and the Alliance, Shepard, or have you forgotten Ilos already?' She smiled and so did he. 'The fact of the matter is, something's changed within the Council and the Alliance if they're going this far to make sure you come to them. It seemed like they were perfectly content to let you live out the rest of your life as a fugitive with your ship and crew, I mean they sent out a few warning shots but nothing serious.'

'I agree with Alenko,' said Garrus, setting his mandibles in determination. 'The Council is about as useful as a bag of wet ammunition but they aren't reckless. They're predictable and calculating, they don't do anything without a reason and this has to have a reason. I know the Council and you have never seen eye-to-eye,' he and Elissa shared a knowing look, 'but they did seem pretty happy to just let you bounce from planet to planet, only showing some minimal effort in locating you. We're missing a big piece of the picture here and until we know what we're up against, I would advise against turning yourself in.'

'I was thinking something similar,' conceded Elissa thoughtfully. 'The Council has always been a pain in the ass but they've never done something that wasn't in their best interest. Letting me go seemed to be in their best interest, especially after what we did to their prison. This feels different . . . like they were coached on what to do and say. We need to dig further into this and find out what changed their minds.' She then looked at Liara. 'Liara, you and Sam work together and see if you can find anything that might give us some idea as to why the Council suddenly wants my head mounted on their wall.'

Liara nodded. 'That I can do. I will also be looking the claim that Udina was in fact replaced with a Cerberus sympathizer. Miranda, I would appreciate your assistance on the matter as well as Samantha's, between the three of us we might be able to find something to help uncover this mystery.'

Miranda smirked. 'Is this something the Great Shadow Broker doesn't feel confident about?'

'Absolutely,' said Liara with a simple shrug. 'As vast as my knowledge is, I can't see everything, and you two are the best at uncovering hidden objects. If you would rather not help, I will understand.'

Traynor looked at Miranda and the two women grinned, Liara had her answer.

'Glad that's settled,' said Elissa pleasantly before moving on. 'Now, before we confront the Council, there is something else that we have to look into: Leviathan. We've put this off long enough, we have to confront them and find out why they've been acting the way they have. Only after that will we go to the Citadel, I don't want to have any loose ends when we decide to confront the Council.'

Everyone seemed a little apprehensive about that idea, after all the last time they had confronted Levithan it had almost cost Elissa her consciousness and the galaxy the war. Going there now could prove to be the worst plan ever conceived. Still, they did not have much of a choice.


"Remember Elissa, if the pulse activates, aim for that dock we were on last time," instructed Steve as Elissa flew the shuttle. "I'll be able to walk you through how to fix the shuttle then."

Elissa did not want to point out the obvious, that even if she did get the shuttle working again after being hit with a pulse it would just be fried again until Leviathan decided to play nice and let her go. She could feel her stomach doing flips the closer she got to the planet's watery surface, she had never wanted to return here and now she was bringing along two innocents with her who could be affected by Leviathan in ways they could never know.


'There has to be another way,' said Joker as he ran a hand through his hair. 'Send someone else, anyone else but don't go there yourself.'

Elissa watched him pace back and forth in front of their bed, his eyes darting between her belly and the wall, she could tell what he was thinking but that did not mean she was happy about it. She was hardly pleased to be in this position yet again. 'Jeff, I have to go, I'm the only one that Leviathan knows. If someone else went, it could end badly, and—'

'And what?!' interrupted Joker, coming to a stop in front of her, his chest heaving with heavy breaths. 'And what, Elissa? You don't owe Leviathan anything, they weren't much help to us in the war, and they owe their existence to you, not the other way around.' His eyes rested on her belly. 'Besides, it wouldn't be fair to the kids if you did this.'

'Don't even try to pull that with me,' said Elissa dangerously, her eyes narrowing. 'I realize the danger of the situation, Jeff, I'm fully aware of what I'm getting myself into. Trying to guilt me out of going won't end well for either of us.'

Joker pinched the bridge of his nose gently. 'You promised after Lazarus station that you wouldn't go on any more missions. You gave me your word that you wouldn't endanger the babies and let someone else take over for you, I thought that was why you have been giving James more to do.'

Elissa knew she had the tread lightly with this, because he was right, she had promised that she would try to keep herself and the babies out of harm's way. This was not the kind of danger she had meant but she knew where he was coming from, if they so chose Leviathan could forcibly keep her below the water and refuse to return her to the Normandy. If anything this was far more dangerous than a firefight. 'You're right,' she said quietly, looking down.

'You—wait, what?' asked Joker, unable to believe that she had actually said what she had. 'What did you say?'

'You're right,' repeated Elissa as she rubbed her belly. 'I did promise to stay out of harm's way and not to endanger the babies again. Going after Leviathan would indeed be breaking that promise and I don't want to go back on my word, especially to you. That being said, I can't find an alternative to my plan.'

Joker sighed heavily and knelt in front of Elissa, putting a hand on each of her knees. 'Do you think Leviathan is going to hurt you if you return?'

Elissa thought for a moment then shook her head. 'No, I have this deep gut feeling that they're waiting for me to come back, and that this time it will be the last. If I weren't sure that this was safe, I wouldn't be insisting on me being the one to go down and confront Leviathan on my own. It has to be me, Jeff, you know that.'

Joker was silent for a few minutes then sighed as he laid his head down in her lap. 'I feel like an asshole right now, I didn't mean to yell at you or use that guilt card against you. I just want you and our babies safe from everything that could hurt you.'

Elissa chuckled warmly. 'I thought it was rather sweet of you to get so protective, makes me see what kind of father you're going to be soon.'

'What are you going to do about the Council?' asked Joker, looking up at her from under his eyelashes. 'Just so you know, no argument in the galaxy is going to persuade me to let you surrender yourself to them, I'll drown us in blood before I let that happen.'

'I have a plan for that,' said Elissa though in truth it was more of an idea than a fleshed out plan. 'When the time comes, you'll know what it is.'

Joker nodded wearily. 'I don't like any of this Ellie, but I'll go along with it for now, however if I think you're in trouble I'm coming for you regardless.'

'I would expect nothing less,' replied Elissa as she kissed the top of his head.


The shuttle broke through the planet's atmosphere and Elissa braced herself for the pulse, expecting it to hit her any moment yet as she continued to stay airborne she realized that there would not be a pulse coming. Leviathan apparently was waiting for her otherwise they would have struck her down the moment she came close to the planet's surface. With new courage she continued for the water, angling the shuttle the way Steve had instructed so that when she broke the water's surface it would not harm the shuttle or her. The shuttle cleanly cut through the water and she turned on the console with the coordinates of Leviathan's lair, activating the guiding program so she would not get lost on the way there. She hardly thought she needed it though, this was one place she could probably find with her eyes closed in the dark.

"Normandy to Shuttle One," came Joker's voice. "Normandy to Shuttle One, what is your status?"

"Normandy, this is Shuttle One," said Elissa calmly, glad to hear her husband's voice. "I have begun my descent into the water, headed towards Leviathan's location. No pulse was activated, shuttle is running cleanly."

An audible breath was heard on the other end. "Thank every god in the fucking universe," said Joker, obviously relieved. "I was so worried when I didn't hear anything right away, I thought something horrible had happened."

Elissa smiled to herself. "No, nothing happened. Honestly I'm just as surprised as you are, I thought for sure the pulse was going to knock me out of the sky."

"Don't say shit like that," said Joker sternly. "We're on a roll with good luck here, Ellie, don't you dare jinx it by saying stuff that can change at any second."

"Yes, sir," said Elissa, giving him a mock salute that he could not see. "Anyway, at least communications are still working, I'm already at the point where they started to cut out when I used that diving suit."

"Steve made sure they were upgraded," said Joker as Elissa switched on the outside lights. "Although I'm sure once you start talking with Leviathan it won't matter how excellent our communication's system is, since they talk to you mentally."

"You'll at least be able to hear me breathing," said Elissa, trying to sound cheerful but she knew it was a lost cause; even she was having a difficult time believing that this was going to turn out well. She knew she would live, that was all she was sure of right now.


The journey was dark and tense as Elissa slowly moved the shuttle through the murky water, wanting to make sure that she did nothing that might provoke an attack against her, considering how incredibly fragile this unspoken peace agreement was. Finally she reached the place where she first encountered Leviathan and as she waited, she could feel what felt like ice water trickling down her spinal cord and a creeping in the back of her mind. This was just like it had been during the first encounter even though that hardly made this easier, she did take comfort in the fact that her suit would protect her babies' presence from Leviathan; Quaes warned her not to think about them too much otherwise Leviathan might go searching to find them.

"Shepard," said a deep voice in the back of her mind and she knew they were here. Suddenly a large creature came into view, seemingly coming out of the ground itself as she watched it rise to be level with the shuttle windshield on the ledge. "You have returned . . . this was unexpected."

"You've been acting out, Leviathan," she replied though she could feel it probing around in her brain, likely in an attempt to bring her back fully into the world between planes where they could interact. She was desperate to block their attempt. "I was hoping you could explain yourself."

"We have done nothing except try to survive," replied Leviathan. "That is all we have ever done since the start of the cycles, Shepard, and all we will ever do."

"Your actions hardly demonstrate that," retorted Elissa sternly. "Especially giving the power of mind control to an Asari hell-bent on making an Ardat Yakshi army capable of posing a real threat to the galaxy."

"That was not our act," said Leviathan. "That was the act of Cerberus."

Elissa was stunned. "What did you say?"

"You heard us, Shepard," said Leviathan, again attempting to probe her mind. "Cerberus is responsible for the army you spoke of."

"I don't understand, I thought you were behind this," said Elissa, wondering if she had just made a huge mistake. "We found your fragments on the back of their necks, we studied them and found that they were identical to what we found at the dig sites for Ann Bryson."

"We gave the technology to Cerberus in exchange for the means of survival," replied Leviathan. "They were able to recreate it though it is likely they did so with the aid of technology, as we have been able to control our thralls with our mental capabilities. If you had looked closer you would have seen that the fragments they used were not organic but mechanical."

"That would certainly explain things," said Elissa, feeling herself getting drowsy. "But that doesn't explain everything. What did they give you in exchange for the technology to create thralls?"

"They provided us with thralls of our own," said Leviathan. "We asked for intelligent members of the lesser races that would be useful to us in gaining more eezo and to further our knowledge of the galaxy. We were given a small group of miners and nothing else, Cerberus went back on their end of the deal and we were powerless to do anything."

'Miners? Does that mean that colony Kasumi was funding was actually taken to serve Leviathan?' thought Elissa as she watched the monstrous creature in front of her. "It sounds like they screwed you over, but you still could have done something to get back at them for this, like rendering their new technology useless."

"The war cost us more than we ever anticipated," said Leviathan. "In order to amplify our will over the Reapers we took control of, we expended our stores of eezo, and this has resulted in weakening our strength. We use only what we must to continue living but we do not wield the power we once did, in fact . . . it would appear we are finally dying."

Elissa blanched. "You mean you needed eezo to survive? I didn't realize . . . and now you're dying? I thought you couldn't die."

"We are not immortal," replied Leviathan. "You have been told before that we are the progeny of the original survivors of the first harvest, so we do die just not as quickly as most lesser species. This time it would seem that even with procreation established, we will not survive to see another cycle begin and end, we will die in this cycle. We had hoped that with Cerberus we would gain what we had lost and be able to rejoin the lesser races once again, we had thought to achieve independence from this planet."

"You wanted to be free," said Elissa simply and she felt a pang of sympathy for the creatures. "You got a taste of being with other species and liked it enough to want to come out of hiding. You wanted something everyone in the galaxy can understand you just went about it the wrong way, you should have tried to contact me sooner rather than going directly to Cerberus."

"Cerberus came to us," replied Leviathan. "While the galaxy rebuilt, they were looking for a new means of conquering it. They found us courtesy of Bryson and offered us our freedom in exchange for the technology to create thralls. We accepted and they agreed to help us build up our strength again so we could in fact work to regain some freedom, but that is when they betrayed us. Giving us the miners was not enough, they did not give us a facility where they could do their work without interference, nor were they placed on a planet filled with eezo. Instead they were dropped off on the dock above where we have been keeping them all this time, trying to help them live while we fight to maintain our own survival."

"I'm sure Ann didn't willingly help Cerberus," said Elissa with a slight smirk. "And anyway, you managed to get your hands on resources before, why was this time so different?"

"During the war, our fragments were destroyed in many parts of the galaxy," explained Leviathan. "Before then we had a number of lesser species thralls at our disposal, used for various purposes that would enable us to survive another cycle, but this time we lost too many fragments. We have nothing left to ensure our survival, we are dead by definition."

"If you're so hopelessly forsaken, what can I possibly do?" asked Elissa sternly. "It seems you've been trying to attract attention from someone."

"We wanted you to be here at the end," replied Leviathan. "We cannot let everything that we are die completely, not without ensuring some kind of legacy. The Reapers will never be remembered fondly in the minds of the lesser races, if it was discovered who created them we would surely be hated even if we were to survive and reintegrate into the galaxy. You were the first to find us in millennia and you will be the last."

Elissa did not like the sound of that. "Do you plan on killing me along with the rest of your species?"

"You misunderstand," said Leviathan. "We do not wish to harm you, instead we wish to make you and your progeny our legacy."

"You know about my children?" asked Elissa, resisting the urge to flee.

"We felt their presence as well as yours," explained Leviathan. "They are the symbol of a new order, of a new way in the galaxy and we wish to impart on you and them what knowledge we have. You have proven yourself our ally and friend, we simply wish before you destroy us to allow us this request."

Elissa was about to reply when she caught the end of that statement. "What makes you think that I'll destroy you? If anything, I want to help you."

"We are beyond help, Shepard," said Leviathan and the voice almost sounded sad. "We have been denied help and held captive for too long to recover. We are not our ancestors who survived the cold darkness with very little, we are lesser than they were and for that sin we shall die here. We wish it to be by your hand for we are afraid, we do not want to die in pain and it would be a comfort to us if the killing blow were to come from an ally."

"I don't know," said Elissa somewhat reluctantly. "I've never been a huge believer in genocide, often I try to find a way make sure everyone survives, like I did with the Quarians and the Geth. I . . . I don't think I can kill you."

"You must," pressed Leviathan. "We do not want to die but we understand that we no longer can live. We have lived how we have wanted and now we shall die the same way."

Elissa let out a small breath. "What will happen to the miners up top? They've been trapped there for months without knowing it, they've lost their children because of what you wanted Cerberus to do."

"We did not ask for deaths on our behalf," replied Leviathan. "We thought only of prolonging our existence, we did not realize that Cerberus would go to such lengths to avoid giving us their own resources even though they gave us their word. This organization must pay for its treacheries against the galaxy and us, if we had the strength our world would turn red with their blood."

"That doesn't address the issue," said Elissa patiently. "What will happen to the miners? They can't come with me, I'm expected elsewhere and where I go they cannot follow. Do you have any possible solutions?"

"There is a small space craft on that dock," explained Leviathan. "Since they began residing here, we instructed them to rebuild it so they could leave to other worlds to assist us and it is nearing completion. When we die, they will be freed and able to finish the craft, and then they can return to their homes. Does this satisfy your question?"

"Yes, I suppose I couldn't ask for a better situation," replied Elissa honestly. "Now, as for this legacy you keep referring to, what is it?"

"Everything," said Leviathan. "We hold the vast knowledge of the galaxy, ranging back from as far back as our ancestors, who gave us the knowledge before they expired."

Elissa was taken aback. "So this knowledge, what will it do to me and my children?"

"It will live on within you," said Leviathan. "The children and you will be unaffected overall but you will have latent abilities such as historic knowledge far exceeding your present day historians. You will not be able to command mental capabilities such as we possess, but nothing will escape your sight, you will know everything."

"My children, they'll be born knowing everything about the galaxy?" asked Elissa, suddenly terrified about what this could mean to her unborn babies. Being born with such knowledge could accelerate their progression and cause them to mature and develop in ways that humans should not ever, if at all.

"Yes," said Leviathan. "They will know everything yet they will not be different from other humans. Unknowingly, you passed on the Cipher to your children and that is where the knowledge will reside, they may be able to access it at some point but not immediately. Just as within your Cipher will the knowledge stay, you can access it but it will not change you in any way outwardly or physically. Do not fear for your progeny, Shepard, for we would not do this if we thought the legacy harmful. When they have children of their own, the Cipher containing the knowledge given to them will inherited by their children and so on, enabling our knowledge to live on and be expanded upon."

Elissa thought about this offer, she and her children would be the bearers of all knowledge in the galaxy and might not even be able to access it, even so it could have horrific effects on her children's development in ways they could not imagine. She wanted to help Leviathan but she did not want to put her children at risk and this sounded like a very huge risk to be taking, even in the name of a legacy.


Joker was fuming as he tried repeatedly to hail the shuttle, he could hear everything that was going on in there but for some reason he was unable to chime in and give his wife his opinion on the matter. This was infuriating beyond belief and he was sure he was going to break his finger as he jammed it repeatedly on the button.

"Jeff, you'll hurt yourself," chided EDI from her seat. "Please be patient while I try to override what Leviathan has done."

"Why are you so sure Leviathan has done this?" snapped Joker. "Elissa could have turned it off herself because she knew I wouldn't like what I heard."

"You know she would never do that to you," replied EDI softly as she continued to scan the code she could see in her visor. "You're scared that she'll do something to endanger Malcolm and Felicity."

Joker had to take several calming breaths before he could reply, even then he had a difficult time keeping the anger out of his voice. "Of course I am! She promised me that she wouldn't endanger the kids and now she's about to agree to let them be part of some sick experiment the Leviathan have cooked up." He then thought for a moment. "How are you even able to look at their signal?"

"It is Reaper code," replied EDI. "Just as I am and just as the Geth are and just as everything else is. Technically speaking, Reaper code is Leviathan code, so I can read it as I can read most other code. Our galaxy's technology is based on Reaper-Leviathan technology so the base codes are the same with minor differences scattered throughout. Just as every current alien language spoken is based on the Prothean, except English, that is too convoluted to be from Prothean origins."

Joker could tell that she was trying to tease him but he was not in the mood, he was too angry at the situation his wife had put herself in, again. "EDI, what will this do to my kids?"

EDI knew what he was referring to and also knew that this had to be handled with some delicacy and tact. "They will be the vessels of the galaxy's knowledge, some they will access and most will elude them but eventually it will be revealed even if it takes many generations. It is likely that they will be highly intelligent, though there was never any doubt about that, and they could be the first creatures to understand alien language without a translator being required. Leviathan will not be putting this knowledge directly into their brains, that would be impossible, they are most likely putting it in the Cipher."

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Joker, somewhat calmer now that he had a grasp of what could happen to his kids.

"It is entirely possible that your children have inherited a Cipher," replied EDI. "Shepard came to possess one when she was hit with that beacon on Eden Prime and with it now part of her brain, written into her DNA, she likely passed it on to your children."

"So my kids were screwed before they stood a chance?" demanded Joker, terrified at the possibilities that opened. "Did Elissa know?"

EDI shook her head. "Probably not until this moment, I'm sure. The Cipher is not common so no recorded data exists on how it truly works, what data does exist is only available to Shepard as she is the only one who can understand it. Had Javik decided to live, we could have asked him but it is likely he would not have known much either."

Joker sighed deeply. "Leviathan is going to input their knowledge into the Cipher located in each of their brains, it's likely that my kids will be born with the ability to understand and speak alien languages but not until they're old enough to talk, right?"

"Yes, it will not accelerate the brain maturation process," replied EDI, trying to sound reassuring. "It is very likely that nothing will happen until their minds and bodies are capable of processing even basic information."

"How are you so sure?" asked Joker, not sure whether he could believe what the AI was saying or not.

"Because I understand their thinking," replied EDI softly. "And I understand the basics of the Cipher thanks to the Lazarus station files Miranda supplied. You must trust in Shepard as well, Jeff, she would not do something that would absolutely endanger the children."

Joker shook his head. "This is almost too much trust."


"Will it hurt?" asked Elissa looking up at the creature through the windshield.

"It will be painless," said Leviathan, the tone almost kind. "It will be as if you were sleeping, when you are aware it will as if no time has passed."

Elissa took a deep breath. "Do it and then I will do as you requested and end your species."

"Thank you, Shepard," said Leviathan.

Suddenly Elissa felt her eyes grow heavy and she closed them, when she did she felt a rush in her mind, like everything was going too quickly for her to comprehend. Then for a split second, she could understand absolutely everything in the entire galaxy before it went away in a flash. When she opened her eyes she felt different yet the same and she knew it had worked.

"Goodbye, Leviathan," said Elissa as she began to input the sequence that would bring the shuttle back to the surface.

"Goodbye, Shepard," said Leviathan as the shuttle headed towards the surface.

When she was closer to the water's barrier she pressed a button. "Joker, EDI, arm the main gun and prepare to fire at Leviathan."

"Shepard, are you sure about this?" asked EDI, implying that she knew what had happened down there. "You don't have to kill them."

Elissa released a shaky breath. "Then that would make me no better than Cerberus and I can't have that, I gave them my word that I would do this favor for them and they've ensured the safety of Kasumi's colonists. Please, we have to do this."

"The main gun is armed and locked on Leviathan's location," replied Joker. "We're ready to take the shot whenever you are, Shepard."

"Do it now," said Elissa though she was upset. 'Shepard? He hasn't called me that in a while, I guess he's upset about what I did.'

Suddenly a bright white beam passed by somewhere on her right and she knew that they had fired the main gun, then there was a thundering explosion and she could tell that it was a direct hit. There was another barrage of beams for a few seconds before they stopped, Elissa knew without asking that Leviathan was dead, EDI had probably seen to that herself since she could read their signatures and knew where to hit. It was painful to think she was responsible for the end of a once great species but this had been requested of her by them directly, she would have fought harder for their survival had anyone else asked this of her.

"Leviathan is no more," came EDI's voice, notes of melancholy hanging to her words. "All shots were direct hits."

"I'm sorry," said Elissa as she flew the shuttle back into the Normandy. "I'll be up in a few minutes."

"Elissa, meet me in our cabin," came Joker's voice, his tone clipped. "We have something important to discuss."

"I'll see you then," said Elissa as calmly as she could manage. This was not going to go well.


When the elevator door opened on her floor, Elissa took a deep breath and stepped off, opening the door to see Joker sitting on the bed playing with his wedding band. He looked up at her and she crumbled.

"I'm sorry, Jeff," she said as she felt herself going to the ground. "I'm so sorry about all of this. I know it seems incredibly stupid and selfish but-but I couldn't let everything about them just . . . die. I know I should have consulted you, I know I should have said no but it didn't seem right to deny them their dying wish. I can't even say I promise that I'll keep the kids safe when it's pretty damn obvious that I can't even do that for them. Between this and the mess with the Council, I'm probably the worst mother in the history of the galaxy."

Joker watched his wife sitting on her knees, holding back tears as her apology flew from her lips and he smiled sadly. "You know, you could always use your newfound knowledge to double-check that fact, I'm sure now you could find a whole list of terrible mothers in the galaxy."

They looked at each other and both started laughing, it certainly was not Joker's best ever quip but it was enough to prove to Elissa that he was not as angry as he seemed or at least he had gotten over a better part of it. Somehow she managed to get up on her feet and walk towards Joker before getting back on her knees and putting her head in his lap, sniffling a little as he stroked her hair.

"I don't deserve you," she said quietly. "All I've done is put unnecessary stress on you and made reckless decisions without talking about it with you first, you'd think I'd learn something after a while."

Joker smirked as he caressed her head. "Ellie, you're human and human's make mistakes, I know I've made quite a few when it comes to our relationship. I'm not saying that you're off the hook about this whole 'vessel of knowledge' thing but I'm not going to hold it against you for the rest of our lives." She moved to look up at him and he cupped her cheek. "I know you were in a difficult position, Leviathan probably wouldn't have appreciated being put on hold so you could discuss the ramifications of such a decision with your husband. Lucky for you, EDI and I were listening in so she was able to explain the most likely outcomes of this deal. The short story is our kids will not have complete access to this knowledge and what access they have won't become available until their minds are ready."

Elissa breathed an audible sigh of relief, that had been weighing the heaviest on her mind from the moment she agreed. "At least they won't be advanced members of our race and subject to endless research."

"That brings me to another point I want to discuss," said Joker, forcing her to look up at him. "I've been thinking about it and I want you and the kids to be periodically checked to see if there are any signs of the Cipher or this knowledge doing damage to your minds and also to see what's developed as a result. I won't allow just anyone to look you over, it will probably be Miranda and Quaes doing it. I don't want to sound overbearing but I just want you three to be safe, and I don't want this to go unchecked only to become something we can't handle."

"I understand," said Elissa, giving him a small grin. "Actually it makes me feel a hundred times better." She then looked away. "I'm sorry for putting you in this position, Jeff, I'm really taxing on your trust I'm sure. I mean, half of the stuff I've done has required a great deal of faith and trust on your part and that's before I got pregnant. I can't even do you the favor of promising that I won't do something like this again because that would be impossible, even I don't know what the future holds."

Joker smirked. "If you don't know that, then what the hell is the good of that gift from Leviathan?"

They broke down laughing again, hugging each other as they regained their stability, clinging to each other as if they were afraid whatever was keeping them together would break and they would find themselves without the other. Every trial they overcame always felt like a test of their love and devotion to each other, this was no exception, and both were relieved that they handled it with as much sense and maturity as they did. The next challenge they faced, however, would not be so forgiving.

"Lola, Joker," came James' voice from overhead, breaking their embrace for a moment. "You two need to get down to the CIC. Now."