"I settle for nothing but the best..."

.

"I can't imagine Shepard being pregnant..."

Oriana leaned back on the couch, lifting a still drowsy Emily in her arms, while she thought about the strong and slim woman she'd met only a few times in her life so far. She admittedly didn't know much about Shepard, but the woman she'd first seen on Illium when Miranda had approached her – even though her sister hadn't mentioned her, Oriana had already known then that the red-haired woman waiting patiently at a distance would have (or already had) an influence on her sister one way or another – and later on Sanctuary didn't strike her as the type of woman to slow down and take the time to carry a child for nine months... But then again, Miranda could be very persistent and if the glances Oriana had noticed during every single one of her visits were any indication, there were very few things Shepard wouldn't do for the other woman...

Miranda's sigh jolted Oriana out of her musing and she turned her head towards her sister in anticipation.

"Oh, trust me... it wasn't easy..."

. . .

"Dr. Chakwas just called. Your test results look promising."

"Hooray," Shepard murmured, poutingly rubbing her arm without taking her eyes off the large screen in front of her. Even though she respected Karin Chakwas' work, Shepard had hoped the procedure would involve less needles... But apparently, carrying Miranda Lawson's child meant constant surveillance and monitoring as well as regular, preventive injections to ensure the child's favorable development. Shepard sighed inwardly. She should have known...

As it turned out, her father's detailed documentation Miranda had found had helped a great deal – at least one thing that bastard had been good for... With his research, her brilliant mind and Dr. Chakwas' expertise, they had been able to combine the genetic material of both her and Shepard quite easily, though decided against altering the child's DNA too much. Their daughter should be allowed to develop as naturally as possible instead of being the tool her father had Miranda intended to be, but seeing Miranda's gleaming eyes at all the possibilities of influencing her daughter's outcome, she seemed to have had a hard time reminding herself not to interfere too much during the early stages of the process...

Since Shepard provided the already healthy body, the following procedure was immensely shortened... Dr. Chakwas still promised to work on finding ways to help Miranda's condition (though shooting a glance at the doctor's liquor stash during her visits made her decide not to hold her breath on that one...), but for now, all eyes were on Shepard and her steadily growing belly...

It had taken some time for the former commander to get accustomed to that thought and her changing body, but Miranda's gleaming eyes whenever she'd shot her a sideglance had been more than enough motivation for her.

She gently stroked her belly absent-mindedly, wondering how the life inside of it would turn out to be, a smile tugging at her lips at all the possibilities...

Sometimes it still irritated her that Miranda – being the head of 'Project Lazarus' – seemed to know more about her body than Shepard herself. A knowledge she now generously shared with Dr. Chakwas... At first, Shepard hadn't liked the thought at all that those two talked about possible – and from the sound of it not entirely painless – procedures without her, but as much as Shepard would have loved to be a part of the process in creating their daughter, she didn't understand a word that was spoken once Miranda and Dr. Chakwas were hunched over their datapads, discussing various ideas. And so she'd settled for sitting in one of Karin's comfortable office chairs whenever they'd visited the doctor, silently waiting for them to finish. Besides, Shepard had pretty soon – and delightedly – noticed that Miranda still tended to lean against desks or chairs while deep in thought, oblivious to the former commander's eyes glued to her backside...

Trying to hide her grin as she heard Miranda approach, Shepard rubbed her arm once more to show just how much it still hurt from the last injection a few days prior. "Remind me never to trust a doctor again after the words 'this is gonna sting a bit'," she grumbled, her eyes never leaving the screen showing a crying turian banging against a wall right this moment. Her attention immediately back to the show she was watching, she swallowed, biting her lower lip at the scene. Oh, poor Torek...

Miranda sat down on the couch next to Shepard and, without a word, turned off the screen, silencing Shepard's protest with a raised hand. Why the former commander had started watching that awful turian soap opera every day now was beyond her. Must be the hormones...

She scrolled through a datapad and then fixed her eyes on the woman sitting in front of her.

Shepard swallowed. She knew that expression. And she didn't like it... It reminded her of the time when she'd simply been Miranda's project while she'd still worked for Cerberus, which she now seemed to have become once again. Knowing how much Miranda had changed since then, it sent a cold chill down Shepard's spine to once more feel like being dissected by those eyes...

"How are you feeling?" Miranda started in her old, almost forgotten professional tone. "Have you been feeling anything unusual? Any changes?"

Shepard took a deep breath and reminded herself that the woman inspecting her with a now clinical expression was the same woman who'd been smiling and joking only a couple of days ago... Just like Miranda probably had to remind herself that the woman sitting on the couch next to her in leisurewear that was way too loose – even in her current state – had once been the celebrated and at the same time feared dauntless savior of the galaxy...

The thought caused a mischievous grin to spread across Shepard's face as her eyes settled on Miranda. "Hm..." She placed a finger on her chin, tapping it lightly as if in tought. "Now that you mention it..."

Miranda's eyebrows rose in fear, causing Shepard's grin to widen some more.

"I'm a bit hungry..."

Miranda exhaled in relief and sank back on the couch. "Then go and get something to eat," she stated matter-of-factly, brushing her fingers over her forehead in exertion.

Shepard gave a mocking sigh and leaned back on the couch, closing her eyes. "Ah, I feel so dizzy all of a sudden..." Shaking her head, she added, "I'm afraid I can't move..." After a second, she turned her head and peered through lowered eyelids. As Miranda's eyes simply narrowed, Shepard groaned and turned her head to the other side for more effect.

"Ugh!" Miranda rolled her eyes but got up from the couch nevertheless and entered their kitchen.

Shepard grinned as she heard her rummage through their fridge. Satisfied, she turned the terminal back on to watch the rest of her soap opera in peace.


Fifteen minutes later, Miranda sat back on the couch and shoved a plate filled with steaming pasta towards her.

"You're a dear!" Shepard exclaimed happily and placed a quick kiss on her lips before she started shoveling the pasta into her mouth.

"You know..." Miranda mused while she watched the former commander eat, "I think we should start preparing her room..."

Shepard groaned, her shoulders slouching visibly. "Shopping?"

"Unless you know of some other way to get a hold on everything we need to prepare our soon to be expected daughter's room, yes," Miranda stated, not the slightest bit impressed by Shepard's less than pleased expression.

"Isn't that what a baby shower's for?"

"You didn't want one of those either..."

Shepard gave a short laugh. "Right. No way in hell am I going to wear a stupid hat and play stupid games. Jack wouldn't have even shown up and a party's not a real party without Jack..."

Ignoring Shepard's remark – and forcing the images from their last "party" with Jack out of her mind – Miranda propped her chin in the palm of her hand and leaned against the couch's backrest. "So?"

Shepard groaned again, rubbing her swollen belly. An idea seemed to light up her face as she turned back to Miranda, smiling mischievously. "I just realized how terribly dizzy I still feel... You wouldn't want the mother of your child to collapse in the middle of a shop, now would you?"

Miranda's lips thinned. "Fine," she hissed, her eyes narrowing as she got up from the couch. "Let's just stay at home like all the previous eight months... I'll just..." Her eyes angrily scanned the room in search for something to do – preferably clean, since she'd found that to be a great way to relieve pent up aggression... Her eyes fell on the large fish tank and her eyes narrowed, having found a new target.

"What's with these fish anyway? I never see you feed them..." Miranda's hand traced the fake aquarium's frame absent-mindedly.

"They don't need food!" Shepard exclaimed, putting the plate aside as she saw Miranda continue to inspect the hologram, her face coming dangerously close to its surface...

Miranda paused and turned back to Shepard who'd jumped off the couch and was approaching her quickly. "Suddenly not feeling dizzy anymore?" she asked, her eyebrow raised before she turned back to the hologram.

Shepard waved her hand dismissively and tried to pull her lover away. "No, I don't... strange, isn't it? Hormones..." She gave a short, nervous laugh, which immediately stopped as Miranda's finger came dangerously close to the hidden mechanism. Taking a deep breath, Shepard started another last, desperate attempt to distract her, "I mean they need food, of course, because they're real fish, but there's this thing... on the side..." She winced as she heard the familiar click! and the glass slid aside, revealing what was hidden behind it.

Miranda froze.

Shepard held her breath.

There was silence for a second that was all too soon over when Miranda's head whipped around, her eyes locking on Shepard's. "A hidden weapon stash?" Her expression showed that she was trying her hardest to keep the anger from her voice. "You have weapons hidden away in our house? Where soon enough our child will live with us? And you kept this from me?"

Shepard started to scratch the nape of her neck while evading Miranda's eyes. "Well... yes. Because I knew how you'd react."

"Then why do it in the first place?"

"Because I can't just forget about my past and live without a weapon around. I need to be able to protect my family, now more than ever."

"A crammed weapon stash hardly counts as just a weapon. And what if our daughter found them while playing alone in here?"

"Heh, it took you over a year to find the hidden mechanism, I wouldn't exactly call that unsafe..."

She's pregnant, she's pregnant, she's pregnant... Inhaling sharply, Miranda pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment before she nodded in defiance. "Fine. I won't be able to talk you out of it anyway." Her eyes narrowed as they settled on Shepard. "But they are your responsibility and I swear, if anything happens to our daughter-"

"I'll teach her how to use them as soon as she's old enough. Promise."

"That's..." Miranda shook her head in disbelief. "That's not what I wanted to hear..."

"But it is an option," Shepard offered, smiling warmly at her.

Miranda eyed her for another second before she sighed one last time. "You're coming with me. We're going shopping," she stated in her coldest voice that didn't leave room for any protest. And considering the effort it had taken for Miranda to agree on the weapon stash, Shepard deemed it only fair to cooperate as well... at least for a while...


"Welcome!"

A woman in her mid-forties quickly approached the pair that had just entered her store, smiling widely at them.

Miranda could already feel Shepard's arm tense underneath her hand and she patted it lightly. "Behave," she hissed before she turned to the woman and gave her her most charming fake smile.

"Oh, I see we've got a baby on the way here..." The woman cooed. "Won't be that much longer, am I right?"

Shepard tried to take a step back from the woman's outstretched arm but Miranda's hand kept her in place with an iron grip. The former commander winced as Miranda tightened her grip even more and she finally forced a smile and nodded. "Yes, not that much longer..."

The woman nodded and – to Shepard's great horror – started rubbing her belly. "Well, will it be a little prince or a little princess, then?"

Shepard snorted but quickly recovered as she felt Miranda's heel digging into her foot. She cleared her throat and answered, in feigned seriousness, "A girl."

"Terrific!" The woman clapped her hands before she rubbed over Shepard's belly once more, forcing the former commander to inhale sharply with restrained anger. "A little princess..."

Following the hands' movement with her eyes, Shepard's jaw tightened until she couldn't stand the torture any longer and freed herself from Miranda's grasp, roughly shoving past the saleswoman. "It's definitely not going to be a little princess, lady! It's gonna be a girl and I'll be damned if my daughter's going to wear just the slightest hint of pink!"

The saleswoman's shocked expression quickly vanished again as she regained her composure and it gave way to her previous smile as she turned to Miranda, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "Hormones. Trust me, I know..."

Miranda lightly patted the hand the saleswoman had placed on her arm. "Oh believe me, it's not the hormones. She's always like that..." she answered while her amused eyes followed Shepard who made her way through the shelves filled with baby equipment on her own.

"Where's the section with the not-heart-covered baby clothes?"

. . .

Oriana chuckled. "How long were you in that store?" She looked up at her sister from her lowered position on the couch. During her story, she'd sunk deeper into the couch and was now partially lying on it, her bent knees that touched the coffee table in front of the couch preventing her from slipping off the couch's edge entirely. Emily – who had protested when Oriana had tried to place her back on the blanket between herself and Miranda – was now lying flat on Oriana's stomach, looking back and forth between her aunt and mother with curious eyes.

Miranda shrugged, answering, "About two hours." And noticing her sister's wide eyes, she added, "They would have kicked us out long before that if we hadn't bought half the store... Shepard didn't exactly act... appropriate..."

"I bet that's putting it mildly..."

"I had to use my biotics to get her away from a couple she'd started an argument with about the long-term effects unrealistic animal drawings on baby blankets can have on the child's psyche..."

Laughing, Oriana pulled Emily closer to her face, smiling widely as she cooed, "Did you hear to what length your mommies went to make you a nice room?"

The baby gurgled happily and Oriana sat her back on her stomach, securing the now sitting baby with her hands on either side to keep her upright.

Miranda sank back on the couch, taking on the same – admittedly uncomfortable – position her sister was in and ran a hand through her hair.

"That's only half of the story..."