"She's got her issues..."
.
"That's only half of the story..."
Oriana's eyes lit up.
Miranda winced, squeezing her eyes shut at the memory before she continued, "Buying all the equipment was the easy part, setting up the room was the hard part..."
. . .
"Reinforcements are here to drag your sorry asses out of this mess!"
Miranda rolled her eyes at the loud voice coming from the other side of the door. "Did you have to invite her?" she asked as Shepard sped past her and towards the door – surprisingly fast for a pregnant woman – with Cal at her heels. "She does understand the concept of a door bell, I hope. And that loud and inappropriate yelling is utterly unnecessary to make oneself known..." she called after the red-haired woman but Shepard simply waved her hand dismissively while she activated the door controls with the other, impatiently waiting for it to open and reveal...
"Jack!"
"Shepard! Damn, you look like shit. A couple years without military training and you swell up like a muffin. What's the cheerleader been feeding you?"
Shepard gave a short laugh and stepped aside to let the tattooed woman enter. "It's good to see you too, Jack. Nice new tattoos by the way... Did you let your students draw them on you or did you do it yourself while you were drunk?"
Jack playfully punched Shepard's shoulder. "That's art, dumbass! Doesn't need to be pretty." A mischievous grin spread across her face. "But speaking of pretty..."
Miranda groaned and turned on her heels, raising a warning hand as she fled into the kitchen. "Don't even go there. You two can go on ahead, I'll just wait for the more productive help to arrive," she added over her shoulder.
Jack and Shepard exchanged a quick look and simultaneously shrugged their shoulders.
"I'll show you the room," Shepard announced, heading for the stairs. "The stuff's in the skyvan outside, but we'll have to wait for more people to arrive that can help us carry it up there. Where's Kelly, by the way?"
Jack shrugged as she followed the former commander. "Hell if I know. Probably still cuffed to the bed..." They both burst out into laughter before she added in a more serious tone, "That's actually possible considering how wasted I was last night. Surprised I got out of bed this morning. Just picked up my clothes and left without checking for her 'cause I had to hurry to get here in time... Heh, I bet she can't even reach her omni-tool that way... Oh well..."
They headed up the remaining steps of the stairs and Jack lightly poked Shepard in the side while they made their way down the hallway. "Damn shame you're not allowed to drink," she smiled. "We'd have a hell of a party 'till the rest arrives..."
Shepard sighed. "Tell me about it... Hey, you still carry that pocket tattoo-machine around with you? I feel like finishing the tattoo on your leg I started on the Normandy..."
"You bet, but don't think I won't kick your pregnant ass if you fuck up the burning wings..."
"Pfffft, burning wings are so overrated. I'd still go for the butterflies..."
"Don't. You. Dare!"
"Damn, what's that ugly-ass color even called? 'Krogan vomit'?"
Liara's eyebrow rose as she shot Miranda a look over the brim of her tea cup. "How long has she been here already?"
Miranda shook her head, sighing heavily. "All morning..."
Nodding in sympathy, Liara took another sip from her tea before she set the cup down on the kitchen counter, musing, "I hope some of the others will arrive soon..." Her head shot up and she turned on her barstool towards Miranda. "That reminds me, Tali and Garrus won't make it, but I've got Tali's present. It's still in my shuttle outside." Her brows furrowed. "I also don't think Javik will come. I've left him a message but he hasn't shown up to our last book signings either. I think he's not handling the fame very well... poor creature..."
They both turned their heads when the front door opened and Samantha carefully entered the house, spotting the two women sitting in the kitchen and waving her hand shyly as she approached them.
"I hope I'm not too late." The Comm Specialist placed her handbag on the kitchen counter and heavily fell on an empty barstool next to Miranda, sighing. "It took me hours to find a pilot who was willing to drop me off here." She shot the two women an apologetic smile, both of them returning her smile warmly.
Even though Miranda had rarely had contact to the Normandy's former Comm Specialist and Liara had only known her for a short time, the dark haired woman's calmness was a welcome contrast to the otherwise rather loud Normandy crew that had gathered over all those years under Shepard's command.
"You're welcome to fly back with me, if you like," Liara offered while Miranda poured the newcomer a cup of tea, which Samantha took with a thankful nod. "Feron is waiting with a ship, he'll pick us up as soon as we're done and then we can fly you wherever you want."
Samantha gave a sigh of relief and nodded after taking a sip from the steaming coffee. "That would be marvellous. This planet doesn't seem to have a lot of transport shuttles, it's pretty deserted... No offense, it's a gorgeous planet," she quickly added, placing an apologetic hand on Miranda's arm.
The former Cerberus operative smiled. "None taken. And that's exactly why we chose it..."
"Well..." Samantha let her eyes wander around the room with only the three of them. "I doubt there will be any more people arriving. I've talked to James and Cortez on my way here. They send their regards but they won't make it, they have their hands full with their adopted turian baby right now..."
Liara nodded in thought. "I guess that leaves only us. But four biotics doesn't sound that bad actually..."
"Three biotics. Shepard's not allowed to exert herself," Miranda chimed in.
Smiling, Liara corrected, "Two biotics, one pregnant woman, one maniac..."
"...And a Comm Specialist who happens to be extremely good at interior decorating and keeping an eye on pregnant women who aren't allowed to exert themselves," Samantha added with a wink and the three of them got up, nodding at each other.
"Sounds manageable..."
"Miri, look what Jack bought for us!"
Shepard's face appeared in the window and she leaned forward, proudly waving a black and white romper in her hands. Jack's face appeared next to her and she yelled at the people gathered on the house's front yard, "A baby version of the original 'Miranda Lawson' jumpsuit! Tailor-made... It's even got tiny rubber heels and padded knees to crawl around."
Shepard squealed in delight as Jack pointed at said attachments.
. . .
Oriana burst out laughing. "Oh my god, really?" Her sister's disapproving look only elicited another fit of laughter. "I have to see it!" she declared.
Miranda's eyes narrowed. "No you don't. And I wasn't done with my story yet. You were the one pestering me about it in the first place, remember?"
"And I want to hear the rest of the story, I promise, but I just have to see that jumpsuit first!" Oriana snickered, trying her hardest to keep Emily in place. The baby however seemed to enjoy the shaking of her aunt's stomach and squealed happily, looking at Miranda with gleaming eyes.
Not able to resist her daughter's charm – even though the baby was unaware of the position it had put its mother in – Miranda rolled her eyes and got up from the couch, walking up the stairs grumblingly. After a few seconds of loud rummaging through their bedroom, she emerged again and returned to the living room, tossing a piece of baby clothing at her sister – careful not to hit Emily who recognized the garment immediately, clapping her hands in excitement.
"There. Happy now?"
Oriana bit her lower lip as she inspected the jumpsuit, running her thumb over its surface and sighing in contentment.
"It's so..."
. . .
"...soft!" Shepard beamed, running her hand carefully over the tiny jumpsuit. "She'll love it!"
Miranda's eyes narrowed, still looking up at the open window above them. "Could we get on with it then? We still have a skyvan filled with boxes... And Traynor, please get her away from the window, that fool will manage to fall if she leans out any further."
"On it," came Samantha's reply from inside the room, not in the slightest insulted by Miranda's tone. Shortly after, the Comm Specialist appeared next to Shepard and placed a hand on her former commander's shoulder. "Why don't we go back inside and decide where to place all the furniture before the room is filled with unmarked and similar looking boxes?"
Satisfied, Miranda turned to the van Liara had meanwhile opened and, without taking a step towards it, she pulled a heavy box out of it with her biotics and lifted it up towards the open – and luckily large enough – window, a mischievous smirk on her lips as the box hit Jack's head with an almost unnoticeable flick of her right hand.
"Ow! What the hell, cheerleader?"
Miranda grinned up at the window. "Ooops, my bad."
Growling, Jack rubbed her aching head. "I swear, if you weren't under Shepard's protection and she a hormonal mess right now..."
"I'd like to see you try," the former Cerberus operative mumbled, nodding towards Liara before they lifted a larger box together, Jack navigating it from above without any further complaint – although if that was because of Shepard's presence behind her or Liara's warning glare when the box seemingly coincidental hovered over Miranda's head for a second was hard to tell...
"All done," Shepard declared and leaned back, proudly inspecting the cradle she'd just put together with Samantha's help. She turned her head towards the other end of the room. "What about you, Jack?"
"Screw you!" came the familiarly cheerful reply and everyone in the room turned their heads toward the tattooed woman sitting in a dark corner of the room, hunched over the strewn parts of an unfinished playpen.
Miranda turned away from the wardrobe she and Liara had just filled with baby clothes and placed her hands on her hips, letting her eyes wander over the now fully furnished and decorated room. "Well, as soon as Jack has managed to put together the playpen she's spent the last hour staring at, we're done."
"Screw you too! The bars are in rainbow colors! My eyes have to get used to all this happy shit first..."
Deciding to ignore Jack's words, Miranda turned to the rest of the small group gathered around the cradle in the middle of the room. Hanging right above it was Tali's present, a mobile with changing holographic images showing pictures of every member of Shepard's former crews. It could be controlled through an omni-tool program to switch music on and off as well as change the lightning, which otherwise adjusted its color automatically, depending on the time of day. Along with the mobile came a small drone monitoring the baby's every move, automatically informing the programmed omni-tools about any signs of sickness or ailment – a clear sign that the gift came from a quarian who still wasn't used to not being forced anymore to wear an enviro suit all the time...
Miranda silently stepped behind Shepard and wrapped her arms around the other's waist as far as her belly allowed, resting her head on Shepard's shoulder while they watched the changing holograms. Just like the rest of them, she smiled when a picture of Tali and Garrus standing in front of their new house on Rannoch appeared, their expressions turning sad when the mobile lightly turned and a picture of an obviously singing Mordin caught everyone's attention. The hologram changed again and was now showing a picture of Shepard struggling to find a comfortable position next to Samara on the cold, hard floor of the Observation Deck – and judging by her pained expression failing miserably...
Miranda leaned back and lightly patted Shepard's side, announcing, "I think we've all earned a break."
Movement quickly returned to the small group and Liara and Samantha followed Miranda out of the room to get something to eat and – since Shepard offered to stay and help Jack – a well deserved glass of champagne after their long day of work without having to deal with a wide-eyed Shepard staring longingly at their glasses-
. . .
"What are you doing?"
Miranda stopped her narration and turned to her sister. Noticing Oriana's concentrated expression, her eyebrow rose when she realized what her sister had in mind. "You can't be serious! You're not actually considering dressing her in that ridiculous jumpsuit, are you?"
"What?" Oriana shrugged. "I think it's cute... and fluffy."
Emily beamed at her mother from Oriana's lap, waiting patiently while the younger Lawson sister carefully pulled the small jumpsuit's zipper up.
"There, done," Oriana announced and grinned at her sister when Emily started clapping her hands in agreement. "See? She likes it too..."
"Unbelievable..."
