30th May 2187 – Crucible pulse + 8 months

"Right a bit...right, right. Keep going rig...stop!" Shepard immediately dropped the pot, waiting for another command off Miranda. "Aw, that's too far John."

"What?" He stood up, taking a few steps back, panting heavily whilst staring at the plant pot he was trying to move. It would have been big enough for him to get inside but it contained a rather large palm tree. The result was an obscenely heavy terracotta and plant lump. And Miranda was being incredibly indecisive about where she actually wanted it on the patio. He turned to her. "This isn't very funny you know, it's bloody heavy."

"It's no joke. I want this patio to be an exemplar for the rest of the galaxy," She lowered her sunglasses, peering over the rims at him with a grin. "And I like watching you sweat."

Shepard gave her a bit of a grin in return, giving her a once over. She was lying in a deck chair, clad in a sky blue bikini, underneath a garden parasol of the table next to her. One hand was holding a book on gardening, Miranda had recently discovered an enthusiasm for the outside appearance of their home, and the other was resting lazily on her stomach – several inches bigger than usual. He reckoned that she still looked as incredible as ever though, and Miranda knew it.

"How far do you want it moving back left?"

"Go for about three millimetres."

"Three millimetres?" He gave her an exasperated look. "I don't have laser eye sight! How am I meant to move it that precisely?"

"Just get on with it John," Miranda placed the book down on the table next to her, picking up her glass of iced tea and taking a sip. "I'll tell you when to stop."

"That's what you said last time," He rolled his eyes at her before wiping the sweat from his brow with one hand. It was ridiculously hot, and Shepard had been shifting plant pots and soil bags since after lunch. Now it was four o'clock, and he was shattered. He glanced down at his drenched T-shirt, decided it wasn't really fulfilling much of a purpose, and removed it, receiving a wolf whistle from Miranda. He grinned at her pouting and turned back to the plant, giving it a scowl. "Come on then plant, bloody move it."

He placed his hands on opposite corners of the pot and heaved upwards, putting all of his weight behind the motion.

"Don't drag it John, you'll scratch the patio!"

"Jesus Miri," He stopped again, dropping it back down and looking back at her once more. "That's what I was about to..."

He was interrupted by a massive crashing noise from inside the house, followed by a squeal, a growl, and a yelp. The two looked at one another in surprise before both turning to the source of the racket.

"What the hell?" Shepard made to go towards the house but stopped in his tracks as another loud bang was heard. He could see the cause of this noise though, Legion was hurtling out of the French doors of the kitchen diner at breakneck speed straight towards them. He sprinted past John and towards Miranda, eventually trying to crawl underneath the table next to her. The dog was rather large now though, up to Shepard's waist at head height, and it made a comical sight as he tried to get underneath the table. Eventually Legion only succeeded to knock the table over and decided to collapse on top of it, quivering madly.

There was silence for a couple of seconds before Miranda spoke.

"What the bloody hell?" She glared at John. "Why is your dog destroying everything?"

"Erm...What just happened?" He began to walk over to the trembling St Bernard, kneeling down next to it and stroking it's head gently. "What are you doing hey?"

"Wait, John. Can you hear that?"

He stopped, straining his ears. "Hear what?"

"A scrabbling noise," Miranda slowly stood up, eyes trained on the house. "From the kitchen."

"You stay here," He stood up as well, walking over to the house as well. "I'll take a look."

He approached the French doors cautiously, glancing around the dining area. Several chairs were knocked over onto the floor, but there was no sign of anyone or anything in the room. Shepard slowly moved past the table, his eyes scanning ahead diligently. Looking up he noticed several open cupboards, and various foodstuffs were spilt outwards onto the worktops below. Then he stopped, he could hear the scrabbling sound as well and it was originating just by the cooker. Steeling himself, he crept around the corner.

He saw the perpetrator, and got a hell of a shock. It was a badger, a rather big one, and it was helping itself to a pile of fruit it had knocked off the table above. As he approached it looked up at him, staring at him with a curious look whilst mixed juices dripped from it's muzzle. He stared back, noting the black and white markings across it's face and committing them to his memory. For about three seconds the stare continued, but then something changed. The snout of the badger wrinkled back to reveal a set of razor sharp teeth, and a high pitch growl began to emanate from it's throat. And then, it struck.

Shepard had fought all manner of enemies in his career, and many of them had been truly terrifying. Some, like brutes, had incredible levels of savage force. Some, like Cerberus phantoms, had great skill and dexterity with their chosen weapons. Some, like the Geth, possessed advanced technology. And some, like the old Shadow broker, possessed all of those things. But despite his experiences, the sheer ferocity of this badger was simply staggering. It went from standing still to a sprint in a split second, reaching about a foot away from Shepard and leaping at him with bared teeth and the most horrendous of noises.

And though his conscience mind was in a state of shock his N7 training took over his body. He rolled backwards from it, diving behind the counter and into the dining area. He heard a massive thump as the flying badger collided with the washing machine in mid leap, but by the time he was on his feet the beast was already shaking itself off and searching for him. It's eyes met his own once more, narrowing them as it began a second charge.

In close quarters the badger was brutal, and he was completely outclassed. Shepard knew he needed to even the odds, and he decided to make a tactical withdrawal. He turned and ran, hurtling towards the doors where Miranda stood watching with a rather puzzled expression. He managed to get through the opening and slam the door, feeling it shift behind him and hearing another crash as the badger collided with the glass door. Shepard sat panting on the floor, slowly bringing his eyes up to meet Miranda's.

"Holy fuck!" He shook his head, unable to stop a chuckle. "That was fucking nuts!"

"Is that a badger?" Miranda peered through the glass, and Shepard turned to watch as well. It was stood on it's hind legs snarling at them. "Oh my god, did it hurt you?"

"What?" He glanced at it's face, noting that the fruit fluids on it's snout looked a lot like blood. "No, that's your fruit."

"It's eaten my fruit?" Miranda growled herself. "Bastard!"

By now the badger seemed to have decided it's perimeter was secure once more, it dropped to all fours and sauntered back into the kitchen to resume it's feast rather arrogantly.

Shepard stood up slowly, still peering through the glass to see what was going on. "I though badgers were nocturnal?"

"Well mostly, but they'll come out for a good meal," She furrowed her brows. "But it's unusual that it's out in this heat. Regardless, I want it out of the house before it does any serious damage."

"I know, I just need some equipment." With that he turned to walk around the side of the house, entering the garage from the back. He walked over to the far side, pulling down a tool box from the top shelf and rooting inside. It was one of many hiding places for his weapons, but one Miranda hadn't actually found yet. He hefted the Graal Spike Thrower from the bottom, hauling it along with him as he left the garage. As he returned to Miranda's side she gave him an displeased look.

"Are you really going to use that in the house?"

"It'll do less damage than the bloody badger," He gave her a grin. "Just think of this as Varren hunting or something, like on Tuchunka."

"Just be careful, and I don't just mean about the badger," She gave him a frown. "That thing is bloody heavy, so don't take too long or your arms might drop off."

"It ain't that bad, though it is easier to wield with body armour on," He nodded to her to open the door. "I'm going in."

This time he didn't bother with stealth, Shepard ran straight in with the weapon trained ahead of him. It must have been an effective choice because as he stormed around the corner the badger immediately backed away. He let lose a shot but it narrowly missed, embedding itself into the lower half of the fridge instead of the furry horror. Although he hadn't wounded it he had startled it, and the badger bolted right around him. He ran after it, letting off another round at it's heels, and chased it towards the back of the house. Miranda threw open the back door to usher it out but it decided it didn't want to go that way, skidding left and into the hallway and the rest of the house instead.

"Shit!"

He banked after it and saw it make a dash for the music room, directly at the Steinway. He raised the Graal and shot a round in front of it, again forcing it to turn away from the high priced instrument. The badger went left again, but then took a sharp right into the study where it went to hide around the other side of the desk. Shepard slammed the door to keep it in, Miranda coming to stand next to him.

"It's in there."

"I'll close the other doors," Miranda did just that, sealing the hallway. "As long as it doesn't like stairs, it's stuck in the hallway."

He frowned. "With you inside."

"Yeah, but I'll be fine," Miranda walked up to the fish tank, sliding off a panel next to it and removing Shepard's Mattock. She loaded a thermal clip and cocked it. "Lets get the bugger."

Shepard leant a hand against the door, ready to push it open, as Miranda stood back and raised the gun to her shoulder. He pushed, rushing in and straight forwards, heading for the desk. He shot a cluster of spikes at the foot of the desk, shocking the badger and forcing it out. Again he hadn't hurt it, but it moved and gave him the opening he needed. Shepard dropped the shotgun, diving on top of the badger and wrapping his arms around it's neck. It struggled as he hoisted it up, but he kept it in a lock where all it could do was snarl and flap it's legs about.

He turned and began to run out, shouting at Miranda. "Get the front door!"

She obliged, hauling open the door and standing aside. Shepard pulled his arms back before hurling them forward, slinging the badger out of the house...

….and straight into a cluster of Alliance Officers and Admirals.

There was a whole chorus of colourful expletives as the approaching group threw themselves out of the way of the beast which landed right in the middle of them. There was a moment of silence as the badger slowly picked itself up, glancing around at the group. It began to growl threateningly but obviously saw it was outnumbered. With a sense of satisfaction Shepard watched it bound off, heading towards the nearby forest. Before it got out of sight, however, it turned, looking straight back at him. For the third time badger and human locked eyes, each giving the other an expression of absolute loathing. After a quick baring of teeth, which Shepard took to be a declaration of war, it turned for a final time, disappearing out of sight.

Then Shepard turned his attention to their other unexpected arrivals, six to be precise. He wasn't surprised that they were all staring, it must have been a strange sight. Shepard – the 'saviour of the galaxy' – was stood there with only a pair of flowery shorts on, his body covered in sweat, soil, badger hair, and bits of fruit. Miranda – the 'no nonsense', ex-second in command of Cerberus – was stood next to him, noticeably pregnant, bikini clad, and loosely holding a Mattock rifle with a smug expression. Behind them the floor was littered with dirt and Graal spikes, and the kitchen was another story all together.

Shepard didn't recognise two of the Admirals, but they were slowly dusting themselves off with rather shocked expressions. Rear Admiral Mikhalov had the most furious of expressions, his face was bright red and filled with indignation. Kahlee Sanders and Admiral Hackett were stood staring, slack jawed and rather confused. Hannah Shepard was doubled over laughing.

"Erm..." Shepard knew he had to say something, but how could anyone explain what just happened?

"Hi?"

XXXXXXXX

Shepard jogged down the spiral staircase quickly, taking the wide marble steps two at a time. He had only been gone ten minutes, just enough time for a shower and change into a T-shirt and jeans, but he didn't want to keep a potentially infuriated group of officials waiting for whatever they wanted. He quickly headed into the kitchen first, checking the damage.

To his immense surprise the kitchen was already in a much better state, thanks to the three women inside – Kahlee, Miranda, and his mother. All three looked up at his entrance, giving him smiles and greetings. Hannah Shepard looked exactly how he remembered, albeit with a few more grey hairs. She had the same kindly face and tone matched with her approachable demeanour, though he knew that she could change that in an instant. If she wanted to be she could be authoritative, cold, and downright scary. Though she usually saved that for people who required it. His mother walked over to him, a particularly huge smile on her face.

"John," She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a rather strong hug and chiding him. "Yes, you're not too old for a hug."

"I know mom," She pulled back, still with a wide smile. "It's great to see you, though it's unexpected."

"Hmm, when were you going to tell me?" Hannah jerked her head in Miranda's direction with a knowing grin. Miranda answered first.

"This week, honestly," Miranda came to stand next to Shepard, giving both him and his mother a smile. "We just wanted to make sure everything was in place before telling anyone."

"That's fair enough," Hannah waited for them to say anything but there was nothing, so she rolled her eyes and moved forward to grab both of them in a second, enthusiastic hug. "Aw, congratulations you two. I'm thrilled to bits, honestly! I can't wait for a grandchild!"

As she let go of them Shepard caught sight of a rather windswept expression of Miranda's face, whilst she was used to his and Oriana's affectionate treatment she was still a bit at odds with the sheer enthusiasm that was his mother. Still, he knew she did get on with his mother.

"Thanks mom, we can't wait either." He turned to Kahlee Sanders, unsure of exactly what to say to her. He hadn't seen her since Grissom Academy, and he hadn't spoken to her since Admiral Anderson's death. "Hi Kahlee, it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too Shepard," She glanced around the kitchen. "It's a lovely place you have here, the surroundings are rather beautiful."

"Yes, it is astounding," His mother nodded approvingly. "A fantastic place to bring up a family."

"It is," Miranda nodded, but then she chuckled. "When it's not under attack, that is."

"Oh yes, that was hilarious John," Hannah laughed loudly. "I've always wanted to see Mikhalov shit himself, that bugger is always so...smarmy is the word."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "So you don't like him either."

"He's insufferable," Hannah dropped her voice slightly, taking on a serious expression. "But you need to get in there with them, it won't do good to keep the new Brass waiting. I shouldn't tell you this, but they want you to be Councillor. Hear them out at least, and if you really don't want it then just be gracious. I better go and tell them to get ready."

With that she turned and left, giving Miranda a warm smile before she did so. Shepard exchanged looks with Miranda, trying to get his head around what his mother had told him.

"I better not come with you John, I'm probably not in their good books just yet."

"I'm not having that," Shepard took her by the arm gently, placing another one around her shoulder. "I want you to have a say in this as well, you are half my life now."

"Technically I'm two thirds at the moment," She tapped him on the chin. "But I should probably put some clothes on, I'll join you in a minute."

They shared a quick kiss before she left as well, leaving Shepard alone in the room with Kahlee.

"Kahlee, I hope you don't mind me saying anything but," He met her eyes with his own. "I'm so sorry for Anderson. I tried to save him, I really did."

"I know Shepard, I'm sure no one could've done any more," Sanders gave him a heartfelt smile. "When we talked during the war he spoke highly of you, he said you'd get us through it. And I knew he was right then, I knew you would do it."

"Anderson did just as much as me, without him there was no way of succeeding with the final assault."

She nodded, giving him a sad smile. "I am just glad that people recognise his sacrifice. I hope they'll do the same for you, this political ambush isn't fair in my opinion."

"Well, I'd better go and brave it anyway," He pushed himself off the worktop, gesturing towards the door. "Shall we?"

They headed out of the kitchen together, walking through the hallway and into the sitting room. The other five officials were sat on the sofas, talking quietly. They fell silent as he entered, looking around at him expectantly. Hackett rose, extending a hand towards Shepard.

"Shepard, it's good to see you again," Shepard shook his hand, offering a friendly smile that was returned. "I trust you're enjoying retirement?"

"Most definitely," He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "And sorry about earlier. With the badger. It broke into the kitchen and started eating the fruit, and it was a tough fight to get the bugger out."

"I can imagine. Still, no harm done I think," Hackett turned to gesture at the female Admiral he didn't know. "This is Admiral Carnelli."

The woman stood up, extending a hand of her own. She was by far the youngest of the lot, bright blonde hair tied up in a neat bun with friendly hazel eyes. Shepard put her age at no older than forty, showing just how many Admirals were lost in the war. It wasn't often people gained the prestigious rank until nearer fifty. He shook her hand before she sat down again. "An honour to meet you Shepard."

"And this is Admiral Jenkins, I don't think you will have met him before either."

"No," The man stood up as well, eagerly clasping Shepard's hand with both of his own and shaking vigorously. He was older than Carnelli, and rather stocky with a small tuft of mousy brown hair. His smile seemed genuine and friendly, but he didn't seem like a man who could make tough decisions. "I haven't had the honour."

"And you know Admiral Mikhalov."

Mikhalov stood up, giving Shepard a curt nod and brief handshake. He could sense the enmity from the man, but he merely smiled falsely. He did note, with some satisfaction, that there were three small tears down the front of his uniform, it seems that the badger had managed to strike after all.

Hackett chuckled. "And I won't bother to introduce you to Kahlee or your mother."

Shepard nodded, looking around for a seat. All of the sofas and chairs were taken up so he quickly went over to a hidden cupboard, pulling out a large pair of brown leather bean bags. He tossed them both in front of the fire and settled comfortably on one, with all of the others in full view in front of them. Even though he was sat far lower than them he still felt like he had all the power in the room, he was forcing them all to look at him.

"Shepard, I'm not gonna beat around the bush over why we're here," Hackett leaned forwards. "We want you to be humanities representative on the Citadel Council."

"Right." He offered no more than that, he had guessed that this was coming. Shepard was more interested in the reasons why they wanted him, not the fact they did want him.

"I know you aren't the biggest fan of the Council," Hackett stopped himself, letting out a little chuckle. "Or politicians in general for that matter. But we really want you to consider this offer."

"I will listen."

At that moment Miranda walked in, Legion following hot on her heels. She had changed into another light blue garment, this time a summery dress cut off halfway down her thighs. She walked past the sofas and settled on the second bean bag, tucking both legs up onto the bag with a smile. Legion flopped down at her feet, lazily waving his legs around in the air – his way to demand a belly scratch. Miranda obliged whilst speaking cheerfully.

"What have I missed?"

"They have asked if I'll consider to be Councillor."

"Surprise Surprise," Miranda gave him a grin. "I wish I had of put a bet on that."

"Is it appropriate for Miss Lawson to be here," Mikhalov leaned forwards, rubbing his hands together. "We may be discussing sensitive material."

"Miranda is probably the most important factor in whether I take this offer or not, if she tells me to turn it down I shall," Shepard leaned forwards as well, fixing an intense glare onto the Admiral. "And I hope that's not a Cerberus related insinuation, if it is you can leave now."

"Mikhalov," Hannah stepped in, giving him a warning look. "Don't start on that again, we went through it before. Miss Lawson is a more than trustworthy person, and as John's partner doesn't she deserve an opinion in all of this?"

"Look, lets not have a row about me," Miranda continued her petting of the dog whilst looking up. "You came here with reasons, lets hear them."

"The bottom line is that the public has lost faith with the Alliance Brass," Hackett shook his head sadly. "It wasn't just men we lost in the war."

"I have been dealing with public relations since the war, with both the media and the public," Carnelli took up Hackett's line of conversation. "The people are livid with the Alliance, and unfortunately they are right with a lot of what they claim. We didn't act when we should of, we didn't listen to you or your crew, and we ignored the true threat in favour of pursuing your Cerberus involvement."

"To be fair, the Council did that as well," Shepard furrowed his brows. "The other races must be pretty annoyed at their leadership."

"Yes, but that is not our immediate concern," Mikhalov waved his hand dismissively. "That's their problems, not ours."

"That isn't a helpful attitude Admiral," Shepard reprimanded the man carefully, trying not to start another row. "We all need to be working together more than ever now, and maybe the public are beginning to care about the other races now. We wouldn't have survived without them, we owe them as much as they owe us."

Mikhalov sat back with a humph, and Carnelli began to talk again. "The media are being as fickle as ever, criticizing us with whatever we do no matter what. Obviously they always do this, but they have very little support for us at all. They have been blaming us with many of the deaths in the war, that we could have saved many more people had we acted."

"It's true though," Miranda looked up. "Imagine if you had of began preparing after Sovereign attacked the Citadel. Or even if you had of had John briefing you on the Reapers during his imprisonment, he knew more about the enemy than anyone else and could've organised defences from Earth."

All of the staff shifted slightly awkwardly, they all knew it was the shameful truth. Even Hannah Shepard looked a bit sheepish. Shepard broke the awkward silence.

"I'm not being your poster boy again."

"That's not what we're asking from you," Carnelli shook her head. "In fact we're asking the opposite."

"Shepard, you'll speak out against us. You aren't bound by any ties to the Alliance, and so you won't bend anything for us," Hackett pointed at him. "You'd work for the people and not for us, and that's better for everyone."

"Think about this," Jenkins spoke up for the first time, and he made rapid gestures with his hands as he spoke. "We have been managing the position since the war but, as we are Admirals, we have to put the Alliance's interests first. If we do that we're criticised by the public and other races, and if we compromise our stance, the backers of the Alliance lose faith. We're in an impossible position."

"So don't get an Admiral to do it," Shepard leant back. "There are plenty of other politicians not linked to the Alliance, all of them experienced, willing, and driven."

"That's not ideal either," Carnelli grimaced. "After Udina's coup all of the politicians are being watched closely. They can be ambassadors and diplomats, but as Councillor? Trust is the most essential attribute now, trust from the human population, the other races, the current Council, and from everyone else."

"And you have to add that many of those other politicians are asking for you to take the post as well," Jenkins gave him a smile. "Everyone wants you."

There was silence for a few seconds as Shepard drank in the words of the Admirals. What they were saying to him did make some sense, but he still had misgivings. He reached forwards to idly rub Legion's belly, still mulling over the conversation in his head. Hackett broke the silence.

"Regardless of whether you take the post, we had some issues we wanted to discuss with you if you wouldn't mind," Hackett reached into a bag and pulled out several data-pads. "It shouldn't take too long."

Miranda caught his eye with a look that said yeah right.

"Go on then," He stood up slowly. "Shall I get some refreshments then?"

XXXXXXXX

The 'not too long' discussion went on for about five hours, absolutely ridiculous in Shepard's mind. It was almost ten o'clock by the time they ushered the group out. Shepard was polite in his goodbyes to everyone, though he lingered for longer with Kahlee. Then it came around to saying good bye to his mother.

"John I want you to think about it, seriously," She gave him a smile. "You've done so much good in the galaxy all ready I know, but you can pass this on to the next generation."

"Maybe."

"Uch, Miranda dear, sort him out."

"Hah," Miranda chuckled. "I'll try."

Hannah gave them both a tight hug, adopting a serious expression with them.

"I haven't been there for you in the last few years John, and I'm not going to miss any more," Hannah drew herself up. "Once things have settled down I want to leave the Alliance, I want to be a big part in this baby's life if you'll let me."

"Of course Hannah," Miranda smiled kindly. "We want nothing more."

"Great, then I'll love you and leave you."

She waved before leaving, heading out to the shuttle with the other officials. The doors closed as it headed off, the whining engines receding into the distance.

"I love your mother John," Miranda shut the door carefully. "But I thought they were never bloody leaving."

"Ha," He stretched, yawning loudly. Shepard was rather tired, and bed was an appealing prospect. "God I'm tired."

"Well anyone would be after a deadly duel with such a scary beast."

"Do you mean the badger of the Alliance Brass?"

"Ouch," She sauntered up to him. "But I find that being defended fearlessly by my handsome hero rather...titillating."

"Oh?"

"Yep," She took him by the hand, tugging him towards the stairs with a swing in her stride. "And John, I think you should take the position."

That surprised him. "Really?"

"Not for them," She began to ascend the stairs, pulling him with her. "For the innocents, for the young."

"For the future?"

"You can make a difference for all of those poor souls out there, the ones who always get forgotten," They reached the first story, carrying on up the staircase. "For the children who have been left alone, for the lonely who have lost everything. You don't owe it to them I know, but I know you care. I know that list Chakwas showed you affected you."

"More than you can guess," They reached the top of the second staircase, turning left into the bedroom. Miranda was right though, it had disturbed him. And he had made a decision. "OK, I'll do it."

"And that is just one of the many reasons why I love you." Miranda sat back down on the bed, slowly and tantalisingly removing her dress to reveal her naked body.

He grinned. "What, because I do what you want?"

"Well, there is that," She skirted back into the bed, leaning her back against the headboard of the bed. "But it's because you always do the right thing. For everyone else first and foremost."

"Well that's not going to happen all the time," He removed his own clothes. "You come before anything else in the galaxy. Period."

He got down onto the bed, crawling up towards her. He stopped when he drew level with the bulge in her stomach, pressing a light kiss to Miranda's smooth skin there and whispering.

"And you too."

"Do that again," He complied, rubbing her skin tenderly. Shepard felt Miranda shudder lightly under him. "That feels so...different."

Shepard did it again but then he began to move up her body, trailing kisses up between her breasts and past her neck to her mouth. He stopped, the pair of them staring at one another for several seconds. Then Miranda nodded to him slowly, speaking quietly.

"Go for it, my love."

So he did. Shepard was always considerate to Miranda during sex, always making sure that she was as comfortable and content as she could be. And now it was even more important, he made sure to be extra gentle with her. Though he tried not to be substandard, she still wanted a good time after all.

After they were both spent from their passions Shepard made his way up the bed, settling himself comfortably. Miranda pressed herself as closely as she could to his body, resting her head on his chest as a pillow and tangling her legs in his own. His left arm went around her back whilst his right rested on her stomach, massaging lightly. Whilst they had always slept in this position Miranda had made sure to be like this every night. It was part of the routine she was running for him, one of her many methods of trying to deal with Shepard's poor sleeping habits. She was trying to be as close as she could be to him, reassuring him with her smooth skin, delicate embrace, and intoxicating smell. And her smooth words, of which she always said the same every night.

"I'm right here John," She pressed a kiss to his chest. "Love you."

"Love you too."

A/N Well that was a long one, but enjoyable to write. Idea in the first section belonged to a friend of mine, was too good to pass up and added some action (Sort of).

I'm gonna have Shepard as Councillor, I reckon it's something he would do for the people and to prevent the Alliance from causing any more problems.

Decided not to do full smut at the end, not really needed in this chapter.

Again, thanks for all your comments and reviews.