Title: Artemisia Shepard, War Hero
By: Midnight Unicorn
Disclaimer: Main character semi-mine, others and places are not

Author's Note: Thank you everyone for your support and affection for my ficlet. On with the bonus and then we wait for Mass Effect 3!

If someone had pointed out Hannah Shepard on the street, Garrus would have thought they were joking in saying she was related to Commander Shepard. Barely five feet tall, fine-boned and pale, she bore little resemblance to her galaxy-saving daughter until he met her pure sapphire-colored eyes and saw the same iron will in the lines around them.

"Garrus Vakarian, I take it?" Her voice was a higher tone, but no less dry. "Have a seat. Is there a particular reason you chose to meet me without my daughter present?"

"She'll be here," he said quickly, before remembering to sit as commanded. Their table at the Presidium café was set behind a pillar beside a balcony so they had a view of the financial district and the white Council tower. "Councilor Anderson wanted a word with her as soon as she was able."

"I know." She bore a small smile, telling him she was not fooled. "My question stands. Is it to find out how I feel about my daughter having a turian lover?"

"Well, that was part of it," he stammered. "I know many humans, particularly Alliance soldiers of a certain generation, tend to hold a negative view of turians still. It is understandable, though sometimes…difficult."

"Let me put you at east. I am indifferent to your species, I care only how you treat my daughter." She leaned forward in her seat a little. "I have not heard anything about you to indicate I should be worried. Do not prove me wrong." Though she did not seem to be armed, Garrus got the same feeling from her sharp gaze that he got when a sniper scope turned on him. A moment later she relaxed in her chair again. "Now that that's settled, what can I do for you?"

Garrus fumbled for several seconds over how to begin, despite many preparations in his mind. "When all this is over, the Reapers, whatever else, the imminent threats to the galaxy can wait a few months, I want to take her somewhere, a trip or vacation, somewhere she's always wanted to go. I've asked her but she just shrugs and tells me 'no place particular.' I was hoping you could give me a hint or an idea."

Again she smiled, lazy and meaningless. "You should trust what Misia tells you." He started a little at the nickname. "We raised her on ships so she wouldn't be afraid of space, adventure, other species. But as a result, she's always called planet-side life boring. She once told me planets are beautiful from space, not the ground." Her expressions became a little softer, a little more genuine. "So you'd do better to find a space station to relax on, but my daughter has never been much of a 'shore leave' type."

"I've noticed." She laughed at his weary tone. "Do you know what it's like to live on a ship that's wall to wall surveillance and equipped with an AI? Most days I don't mind, but sometimes a sense of privacy would be nice."

"An AI? Fascinating."

"Don't pretend you didn't know, mother." Shepard strolled into view and sat beside Garrus, giving him a quick smile. "Have you had your fun?"

"Not nearly as much as I'd have liked," Hannah hummed. "So tell me what you can of where you've been."