A/N Tried to get this out as quickly as possible!

13th March 2192 – Crucible pulse + 5 years 5 months

Shepard paced. Of course he had had instances where he had paced in the past, but this was something else. He kept on walking the same few metres in the hospital corridor outside the surgery room, back and forth countless times. His mind was racing round in circles as well, running through scenario after scenario, from the very worst case to hoping that everything was going to be all right. The worst thing was that he was completely unable to help, completely useless in fact.

As Shepard spun on his heel once more the door ahead opened, Garrus and Tali heading through. He looked up once before looking back down, resuming his pacing once more. Tali walked up to him and grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him into a hug.

"Shepard, are you OK?"

"I..." He shrugged off Tali's hands, collapsing onto a bench by the wall behind him. "I don't know what to do."

"Oh Shepard," Tali sat down next to him, taking one hand of his in hers. "Have you heard anything?"

"No," Shepard shook his head. "She's been in there for two hours now, I don't even understand what's going on."

"I'm sure she'll pull through Shepard, Miranda's strong," Garrus sat down on the other side of him. "Where's Elizabeth?"

"Liara took her off to the café downstairs to get some sweets or something," Shepard sighed. "I'm sorry guys."

"Sorry? For what?"

"This, ruining your big day," Shepard placed his head in his hands. "You guys should really get back to your reception, it's hardly much of a party without the happy couple."

"Shepard, that's not going to happen – we're here for you. Everyone's worried about Miranda, and we can party any day of the week," Garrus clapped him on the shoulder. "Why don't I see if I can get you some food, you must be starving."

"Right," Shepard nodded as Garrus stood up again. "Thanks Garrus."

"No problem."

As Garrus headed off Shepard placed his head back in his hands, sighing once more. Tali sighed as well as she placed one arm around him, pulling Shepard in for a hug.

"Shepard don't worry, the team in there is the best the Quarians have to offer, and they're being lead by Chakwas and Dr Michel. And EDI is in there too," Tali comforted him, continuing to gently rub his back. "She'll be fine, I promise you."

"Right." He nodded.

They sat there for several minutes in silence, Tali continuing to rub his back reassuringly. After a while the door opened once more as Liara, Javik, and Garrus walked into the corridor, escorting Elizabeth. She ran up to Shepard with a packet of sweets in one hand, throwing her arms around him. He scooped her up and placed her on his lap, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"How's mummy?"

"Well...I'm not sure..." Shepard placed his arms around her, pulling Elizabeth close to him. He laid his chin on the top of her head so that she wouldn't see the tears forming in his eyes. "The doctors are very good here though."

"OK," Elizabeth pulled away from him, holding up the packet of sweets. "Do you want a sweet?"

He managed to smile as he stuck a hand in the packet. "Go on then."

XXXXXXXX

"Shepard?"

He lifted his head up at the call of his name, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Elizabeth was still fast asleep in his lap, Garrus and Tali were still sat on the bench next to him. Shepard turned his gaze to meet EDI's by the door to the surgery.

"EDI, how is she? What happened?"

"Miss Lawson is stable for now. We believe she slipped in the toilet and injured herself rather severely on the sink, she developed a series of internal bleeds that took a while to locate and stabilise - her enhanced blood clotting most definitely saved her from bleeding out," EDI explained. "It was tricky to work around the babies, but we succeeded in stemming the bleeding."

"So she's all right?"

"We have temporarily managed to stem the bleeding, but really we need to deliver the twins via Caesarean," Shepard cocked his head. "As Miranda is unconscious we need your permission."

"She's only at seven months, will the babies survive?"

"I guarantee their survival, babies can be born four months premature and be perfectly healthy."

"Right," Shepard nodded. "Yes, do it. Please, just save her."

"We will do our utmost best Shepard."

With a nod EDI left, returning back into the surgery. Shepard sighed and leaned his back against the wall again. He noticed Garrus cocking his head at him with a questioning look.

"What was that about Shepard? I was half asleep."

"I've just..." Shepard's eyes widened as he realised the implications of what he had decided. "Garrus I've just chosen Miranda over my sons, she would never do that. I've...no...it was the right thing to do."

"Shepard?" He looked up as his name was called once more, Liara and Javik entering the corridor once more. "Any news?"

"You just missed EDI, Miranda's stable," Shepard explained. "Apparently she fell and hit herself and that caused internal bleeding. Must have been a hell of a knock."

"And the babies?"

"They just asked my permission for them to be delivered two months early by Caesarian, there's a chance they might not survive – a very slim one of course, but still a worse chance," Shepard sighed as Liara came to sit down on his other side. She placed a supporting hand on his knee. "What if that's the wrong choice?"

"Shepard, you're reading too much into this," Liara gave him a weak smile. "You haven't made the choice, you've just agreed to the Caesarian. It's a legal formality just because you're here, if you weren't present they would've done it anyway."

"But..."

"Shepard trust me, it's a formality and nothing more," Liara opened her omni-tool, typing something in. A few seconds later she smiled at Shepard once more. "And I'm looking at the statistics here, there is no discrepancies between the standard survival rate of normal births – which is on average ninety nine thousand nine hundred and ninety eight out of a hundred thousand – and two month premature babies delivered by Caesarian."

"There you go Shepard," Garrus nodded. "Straight from the Shadow Broker, it's got to be right."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Your mind's playing tricks on you Shepard, because of the stress and worry," Garrus nudged him. "Not like any of the decisions you've been forced to make in the past, you know – Krogan or Salarians, Quarians or Geth, or both..."

"Garrus, I don't think you're helping," Tali gave him a reproachful glare. "What matters is Miranda and the twins will both be absolutely fine."

XXXXXXXX

A much shorter time later, though still just as tense, EDI came outside of the surgery once more. She gave them all a wide smile, indicating the last half hour must have been successful.

"Shepard you are now the proud father of two healthy young boys, both are doing well," As Shepard began to open his mouth EDI continued. "And Miss Lawson is fine as well, she will make a full recovery."

"Really? You're sure?" At EDI's reassuring nod Shepard broke out into a wide smile of relief. "Can I go and see them?"

"Of course."

Shepard carefully manoeuvred Elizabeth off his lap, she had been fast asleep for several hours, and placed her in Tali's lap instead. Giving the others a smile Shepard headed through the surgery doors into the recovery room. Miranda was also fast asleep on a bed in the centre of the room, a pair of screens above her displaying her vital signs.

"Shepard," He turned to see Dr Chakwas on one side of the room with Dr Michel, both scrubbing their hands. "Congratulations!"

"Yes," Shepard walked over to them, pulling both doctors into a hug. "Thank you so much...just thank you."

"That's OK," Dr Michel gave him a wide smile as he let them go. "I hope we didn't keep you in too much of a state."

"I was nervous," He admitted. "But she's going to be fine now?"

"Yes," Chakwas nodded. "And we delivered the babies to be on the safe side, it wasn't worth risking any complications. They'll be absolutely fine."

"Right, great," Shepard nodded. "I was worried that I was making some sort of critical decision."

"No, it's a formality," Chakwas patted him on a shoulder. "Now go on, I know you're dying to go see them. Knowing Miranda she'll probably be waking up soon, the twins are sleeping all ready."

"OK, thank you again." Shepard nodded as they left before padding over to her bedside, carefully placing a hand around her own hand. He placed it up to his lips and gave her a tender kiss, smoothing back a loose strand of hair on her head.

He let her hand back down onto the bed gently before turning to the two small cots next to the bed. He approached gingerly, inspecting his new sons. Both were identical, though he guessed all babies were when new born. They had been cleaned and looked rather snug in the blankets of the cots, both fast asleep all like their mother and older sister. Both of the babies had small patches over their wrists, corresponding to monitoring screens above the cots. Shepard found it quite incredible that that was the only help that a pair of two month premature babies required – he had seen horrific pictures of premature babies with all manner of wires and tubes attached to them from hospitals in the twentieth and twenty first centuries. He wouldn't have been able to stand seeing his own children like that.

Shepard carefully reached into the one of the cots with a hand, lightly stroking the child's cheek. At even the lightest touch the child awoke, bright blue eyes looking straight up at him. He was momentarily shocked by the eyes, they were very similar to his own rather than Miranda's more azure coloured eyes. He was brought out of his amazement by movement in the cot next door, the other baby began to sniffle. Shepard knew what was coming next.

"No, no," He quickly began to give some attention to the other baby. "Look, you're getting attention too. Don't be jealous, is that better?"

Unfortunately for Shepard turning his attention from one child to another had made the original baby rather jealous instead. The baby began to sniffle, before the sniffle developed into crying and then wailing. The second child began to cry as well, and Shepard stood there rather confused.

"What did I do?"

"I'm not sure," The sleepy response came from behind him. "But you're really not starting off very well."

"Miri?" Shepard turned, giving Miranda a wide smile.

"Who else?" Miranda gave him a weak smile, though she winced with pain as she slowly begun to rearrange herself on the bed. Shepard made to go and help her, though she waved him away. "Would you bring the cots over here? I can't see the boys from here."

"Sure," Shepard nodded before ducking down to search for the locks on the wheels of the trolleys. He unlocked them and wheeled them close to the bed, taking a seat next to Miranda's bed. He carefully lifted one baby out of a cot and handed him to Miranda, before taking one baby himself. Both stopped crying almost instantly, Shepard rolling his eyes. "Typical, show them to you and they're quiet instantly."

"They just want attention, though they have a pair of lungs on them," Miranda smiled before narrowing her eyes. "Shepard, what exactly happened?"

"Liara discovered you on the floor in a pool of blood, the doctors reckon you had a rather nasty fall in the toilets."

"Where are we now?"

"The main hospital of the Quarian capital, Dr Michel and Dr Chakwas directed the best Quarian medical team here in surgery," Shepard peered down at the baby in his arms, the child glared back at him rather scarily. "They spent three hours stemming a series of internal bleeds, then EDI came out of surgery to ask if they could deliver the twins by Caesarian. That was half an hour ago, you overcame the sedatives bloody quickly."

"Yeah, something we both have in common," Miranda sighed. "I do remember something, I think I slipped on the floor and smacked into the sink in front of me – it really hurt. I'm not surprised that it caused bleeding."

"I was terrified, again," Shepard shook his head. "You always terrify me when you're in a predicament."

"Sorry, I don't mean to." She gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah, I know." Shepard nodded.

"Well," Miranda smiled down at the babies, both wriggling rather restlessly in their arms. "Aren't you two the best birthday presents ever?"

Shepard grinned. "Yeah, the gifts that keep on giving!"

"Hmm," Miranda looked down at the baby in her arms, analysing the child. "This one looks like a David you know."

"Really?"

"Yep," Miranda nodded. "What about the other?"

"I don't know," Shepard cocked his head at the baby in his arms, before realising what Miranda had done. He looked back up at her, raising an eyebrow. "You don't think this one looks like a Kaiden?"

"I do." She smiled.

"You know, I think I agree with you," Shepard nodded. "Dave and Kaiden, though lets not call him Kai for short – brings back rather strong feelings of hate."

"Agreed."

A knock at the door got the attention of all four in the room, the babies beginning to sniffle once more. Miranda rolled her eyes before calling out.

"Come in."

"Mummy!" Elizabeth ran into the room, straight at her mother. Clearly she was intent on jumping straight onto her mother's bed, but thought better of it as she noticed the baby in Miranda's arms. Instead she slowly and carefully climbed onto the bed, able to get a good view of everyone.

"So Lizzie, what do you think?"

Elizabeth peered at both of the babies, inspecting them quietly. Shepard was a little tense, he wasn't sure exactly how Elizabeth would take having siblings once they were born – he didn't want her to feel left out or ignored.

"Well, they're very small," She cocked her head. "What are their names?"

"We were thinking of David and Kaiden."

Elizabeth looked between the two babies. "Which one is which?"

"Erm..." Shepard had to think for a second. "This one in my arms is Kaiden, the other is David."

"OK," Elizabeth nodded. "But if they look the same then how will we tell them apart?"

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "With great difficulty."

A/N Hope no one wanted a truly depressing outcome of this subplot, once more I just couldn't do it! As ever let me know what you guys think, comments and reviews are always appreciated and wanted.