Chapter 3

"So do you want to tell me, or should I guess?"

Shepard stood there, mouth opening and closing with no sounds escaping. She looked at the child in her hands, then back at the asari across from her, shifting nervously in place.

"It's not what you think!" Shepard shouted as Liara opened her mouth to speak. She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Oh?"

"This," she held the child up for Liara to see more clearly. "Is not mine. I found him-her – "

"Her." The specialist interrupted. At Shepard's inquisitive look, her cheeks darkened and her shoulder rose and fell again.

"What? She needed a diaper change. Don't ask me what I used as the diaper – it's better if you didn't know."

"Right… I found her," a pointed look at Traynor. "While I was escaping Earth." A dark look passed over her scarred face at the memory of her world in flames. "She was in a carriage – miraculously unharmed – and there was a husk and-and-and I couldn't just leave her there!" Shepard proclaimed defensively, a gentle look overcame the dark one when she looked at the baby girl cooing in her arms. She risked a glance at her blue alien friend.

"What? Why are you laughing at me? Liara?" Liara removed her hand from her mouth where she had pressed it to suppress the chuckle bubbling to her lips.

"You assume too much of me, Shepard." At the Commander's inquisitive look, Liara explained.

"You assumed that I would think that she was your child – are you worried about something, Commander?" Shepard flushed slightly at the doctor's coy tone.

"Though," Liara thoughtfully cupped her chin. "I do suppose she is your child now."

"Oh, no no no!" Shepard held the child out before her. "I mean, she's great and all, but I can't keep a small child on the flag ship of the Alliance! It's not safe."

Liara's brow furrowed with slight aggravation, a scowl beginning to take form on her face. She took a step closer to the Commander, as if to intimidate her. Shepard held her ground, cradling the baby girl who reached out, trying to grab Liara by her lab coat. Her pale, chubby hand grasped at the air in between the two women, missing her target.

"Then what do you plan to do with her?" There was an angry undertone to the asari's voice. Shepard's face darkened slightly to match Liara's scowl, and Traynor shifted uncomfortably in the background, both formidable women oblivious to her discomfort.

"Why do you care so much? She's my responsibility, not yours, and she's on my ship! A child cannot be at the fore front of a war!"

"You can't just drop her off at a refugee camp! It'd be safer for her here then there." Traynor could see the child beginning to become upset at the two women's arguing and cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"No it wouldn't! We'll be under constant attack by Reapers, or did you forget that while hiding on your flying fortress?"

"Commander – "

"The Reapers are the reason I was on Hagalaz! I have forgotten nothing, though you seem to have forgotten your responsibilities!" An accusing finger poke the Commander roughly in the chest, puncturing the last few words that escaped from the frowning blue mouth.

"Doctor-" The babe's face began to screw up and Traynor could hear barely audible sniffles emanating from the child. Both women remained oblivious to both the Specialist's and babe's discomfort.

"You would've been of more help in the fight against the Reapers if you were on the Normandy!"

"If I were on the Normandy I wouldn't have found the plans for the Crucible!"

"Ladies!"

"What!?" Both women whirled to face the Specialist, causing her to lose what little courage she had gathered. She swallowed nervously, and began to speak, when the child began to cry. Traynor pointed to the crying child in Shepard's arms. "You're upsetting the kid." She squeaked nervously.

Shepard looked horrified for a moment and began to coo to the child, trying to calm her and Liara looked guilty, leaning forward to examine the child, concern crossing her freckled and blue face. The child's pudgy fists flew in the air, as gasping sobs escaping from her throat.

"Sh sh sh! It's okay, it's okay. Don't worry, don't worry, Sheppy's here!" The fierce Commander chanted as she bounced the child in her arms, and Liara joined in her shushing. Gradually, the child calmed, hiccupping occasionally, as both fearsome women soothed the child. Traynor found the image strange; seeing two renowned and feared warrior women cooing over the sniffling baby. One small hand flew out a grasped the lapel of Liara's jacket, fisting firmly around it.

"No, no none of that, little one." Liara said gently as she tried to free her captured jacket fruitlessly. Shepard snorted in humor, making Liara raise her eyes from her task to meet emerald eyes glinting in amusement at her predicament. The asari drew in a sudden breath in surprise at how close they were, freezing, as if she never planned to move again.

"I'll – uh I'll just be going now." Traynor announced awkwardly, breaking Liara out of her frozen stupor and causing Shepard to look away, a blush crossing her face as the Specialist quickly fled the room. Liara returned to the task of freeing her jacket.

"I'm still angry with you." Liara was informed by the Commander as she worked on prying the surprisingly firm grip of the child off her jacket.

"And I with you." She murmured back, both their voices gentle despite their cold words. The child in Shepard's hands squirmed again and the red head attempted to help Liara free herself with one hand. A moment of silence pervaded the space between the two women.

"So," Liara began when they had finally freed her jacket and she'd taken a step back. She quirked an eyebrow at Shepard as she adjusted the child so that her head leaned against the Commander's shoulder.

"'Sheppy', ey?" Shepard's face flushed again, the blush hiding her almost completely hiding her freckles. She tried to glare at her friend, but the image was ruined by the blush and nervous eyes/

"Not a word Liara. Not a word." Liara smiled coyly at her Commander, calling over her shoulder as she sashayed out of the war room.

"But of course not, my dear Commander," She paused at the door and gave Shepard a look. "I wouldn't want to lose some of my most precious black mail on you so early on in the game, now would I?" Shepard could only gape as the door hissed shut behind her blue friend. Where had this confidence come from? She didn't remember it on the original Normandy.

The baby giggled and gurgled in her arms, seemingly laughing at the Commander.

"Oh yeah, sure." She gave the dark haired child a cross look. "Laugh it up why don't'cha?" Cradling the babe, Shepard too left the war room, making her way down to the med bay.

Hey! Don't worry, I still live! And I am slowly but surely updating all of my stories and, as much as I hate to admit it, I got side tracked and start another story that will be a series of one shots. So keep an eye out for "Many Different Ways to Say Hello". Hope you enjoyed this chapter and look for the next chapters of "What a Time to be Alive" and "Dead Kingdom". Have a nice day/night and don't forget to leave a review!

namelessgal