A/N: To everyone, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. May the season be warm and bright and filled with love.

And a humble thank you yet again to the ever wonderful and talented Bladhaire.

Past: Twelve Months Post War

Shepard stood on the rise outside the house, where the hill fell away sharply to the beach, marked only by a winding path. The young heddek tree, just a bit taller than the human woman, shifted and swayed a little in the stiff ocean wind.

Drawing a lungful of smoke from her cigar, Shepard let it trail from her lips as she watched the waves below, as they spilled over the colorful rocks and surged up onto the soft sand.

The surgery to replace her eye had gone beautifully. She had felt nothing, whatever faint sensation there was lost in the distraction of the novelty of being a geth Prime. She'd spent half the time in the chassis taking out electronic targets with the guns on her shoulders, as giddy with them as most children would be at a much-desired toy that was finally dropped into their lap.

Tali and Liara had spent most of the time watching and talking, happy that the experiment had worked. Del had eventually, out of sheer curiosity, asked what would happen to her if somehow the Prime was damaged.

"Would you…die, you mean, if the Prime was destroyed?" Tali asked. "No, of course not. You're not really in it, remember? Your nanites are just creating a virtual reality interface that takes up most of your higher functions, in order to integrate and remote-control the Prime. You are still in your body."

"So if the Prime were destroyed I'd just wake up back in the clinic."

"Yes. You are in the clinic, after all. Actually transferring your consciousness into the Prime isn't possible. While we could exactly mimic your brain's electrical paths and synapses in the Prime's artificial cortex, that's all it would be…a mimic. The Prime might act like you, even think it was you, but the real you would still be in your body. If you died, the Prime would only be a simulation of you, not the real Del Shepard. In fact, you could do that and still walk around as you, with the Prime walking around thinking it was you. It'd get messy."

"Yeah. Not sure I'd want to fight a Prime for my wife," she said, and gave a face-flap wink toward Liara.

"You would not have to. I told you, I do not want to cuddle with that Prime."

Del had gone back to target practice, and shortly after Helen informed her that the surgery was done.

Waking up back in that pod was a bit disorienting. Though the eye had been replaced, it was still covered with a sterile patch which would have to remain for a few hours to give the muscles time to tighten and strengthen themselves.

Now she looked on the surging Virmire seas with both of her own eyes again, feeling the sunlight pouring over her shoulders, each breath of fresh salt air- for the moment- driving thoughts of the war and the Alliance out of her mind.

"Shepard?"

She turned as Liara stepped to the front of the porch, still winding on a robe. Dropping her cigar and scuffing it out, she walked that direction.

"Tianlán? I thought you were in the bath."

"I was," Liara said. "I tested my biotics again…and nothing happened."

Liara's biotics had been weak and sporadic for the last few days. That she could not activate them at all now, meant that Irie's arrival was soon.

Shepard reached her side, cupping her face a moment. "Are you ok?"

"I feel just fine…though a bit odd. I have never been completely without my biotics before. Even when they were exhausted, they'd at least give a faint spark, a faint feeling. Now, there is simply nothing."

"Get dressed. I'll call Helen and get packed, load up the car." Liara could feel her mate's hands shaking a little against her skin as Del leaned in and kissed her. "And try not to be nervous, everything is going to be all right."

"I will try," Liara said with faint amusement. She felt a bit excited, but not what she would call nervous. Del, on the other hand, seemed to be another story.

Retreating back into the bedroom, Liara got dressed, attempting her biotics again briefly just to be certain. Nothing happened, and she felt that oddness once again. Having had biotics all her life as an average asari, she had always taken them for granted. She felt oddly vulnerable without them.

Nan came into the room a few moments later. She'd been in napping, but Del had clearly woken her and told her what was going on. She started on the packing while Del called Helen, and it wasn't too long before the three of them were piled in the skycar and heading for Beaty.

"You sure you're feeling all right?" Del asked nervously from the driver's seat.

"I feel just fine," Liara reassured. "We have several hours still until physical labor even begins."

"Try not to fret, darling," Nancy told Shepard. "Just think about the beautiful little life you'll be holding in your arms soon."

Del was trying to, but it was only making things worse. Her gut, usually an infallible alarm, was turning over. She kept trying to chalk it up to sheer nerves, an understandable desire to have her wife and child be all right, and the burgeoning reality that she –Delilah Shepard- was about to be a parent. Unfortunately, such self-reassurances were not helping. In fact, they seemed to be making her stomach worse.

If something went wrong, it wouldn't be a problem she could fix with a gun or a quick fist. She couldn't bulldog or intimidate her way through it. The life of the two most precious people to her would be completely out of her hands. She'd be helpless…and Del didn't do helpless.

They landed at the clinic, Helen already waiting for them. She ushered the three into a private suite, a nurse on hand as she gave Liara a quick scan.

"Your 7H levels are up," she said with a smile. "Little Irie is nearly in the correct position. Judging by when you noticed your biotics were gone, I'd say we have between two and three hours before you'll start to feel physical labor."

"7H?" Del asked.

"7H is an asari hormone that is excreted by their Havass gland when pregnancy is initiated…the Havass gland being the asari equivalent of what would be the ovary in a human being. The hormone remains at low levels throughout most of the pregnancy, but increases drastically toward term. It's what shuts down their biotics and induces physical labor."

"And this hormone level is in a good range?"

"She's spot on where she should be," Helen said reassuringly.

"Y-you said that Irie was 'nearly' in the correct position-"

"Del," Liara said gently, reaching over and taking her hand.

"Shepard, try not to fret," Helen told her. "Everything is just fine. Irie is right where she should be. The onset of physical labor will finish adjusting her position and move her down into the pelvic cavity. I promise, if I saw anything to be even remotely concerned for, I would let you know instantly. For now, all you can do is help Liara to relax. I'll have some ice brought in- she needs to stay hydrated. We'll hook up a monitor and see that the pool is prepared and ready to go."

After Helen stepped out, Del tried to keep her fretting to a minimum, knowing her anxiety would only serve to make Liara anxious. Nan was there as well, keeping her distracted with pleasant talk about the baby and the coming days, and helping her send off notification messages to Tali and the others. By the time physical labor actually began, Del was just starting to relax. The moment the first, very mild contraction hit her wife, however, her anxiety roared right back to the fore.

Helen returned and did another scan, then instructed Liara to walk. Leaning on Del and with Nan beside them, an increasingly grumpy Liara spent the next two hours wandering the clinic and grounds, nibbling on ice chips and pausing each time a contraction would strike. At first they were mild and staggered, but soon enough they became more powerful and regular. Seeing the pain on Liara's face each time one hit her was doing nothing to help soothe Del's worries, but she reminded herself that labor for any mammalian species was intrinsically painful.

Knowing that, and seeing Liara hurting, however, were completely different beasts.

Two more scans, and Helen finally pronounced her nearly ready, ushering Liara and Shepard into a changing room outside of the water birth suite, instructing them to enter the pool room when the contractions came five minutes apart. As only the parents and the medical staff would be allowed in, Nan retreated to a nearby waiting room.

Shepard helped Liara strip down, draping a thin robe around her, and then clinging to her and holding her steady when another contraction caused her to hunch and cry out slightly.

"Shh, we're almost through this," Del whispered to her, encouraging her to breathe. "Just keep thinking about Irie, Tianlán. You're so strong. You'll get through this."

As the contraction eased, Liara's grip loosened on her love a little, but did not release her. Her breathing was a bit shaky as she tried to center herself again. "That is it," she said with a thin smile. "I swear to the Goddess, Shepard if I can find a way- you are carrying the next one."

"With that incredible mind of yours, I have no doubt you will find a way," Del said gently. She helped Liara fasten up the robe, then stepped up behind her. She gently swept her thumbs over Liara's lower back, trying to ease the residual pain. Feeling Liara finally relax slightly Del leaned forward to place a kiss to the side of her face.

"Still six minutes apart. Our daughter is very stubborn."

"Your daughter is very stubborn."

Chuckling, Del continued to knead the muscles around the small of Liara's back for a few minutes, her efforts rewarded with a quiet sigh. Turning, Liara placed her hands on Del's shoulders and rested her forehead against the other woman's. "Thank you Shepard."

"For what? You're the one in labour, I'm just the one who got you into this mess."

Smiling tiredly Liara captured Shepard's lips in a chaste kiss, the affectionate gesture barely starting before she broke off with a pained groan, Del's t-shirt suddenly pulled askew as the fabric of the shoulders was balled up in blue hands. Burying her face against the side of Shepard's neck, Liara tried to follow the breathing exercises Doctor Chakwas had taught her.

When Liara's hands relaxed again and her heated breath was skittering less frequently across Shepard's neck, Del kissed her lightly on the temple.

"Five and a half minutes. Now we're getting somewhere."

Leaning against Shepard, Liara shook her head. "How do you do that?"

"What, keep time in my head? Necessity I suppose. My entire life my survival has depended on timing. Darting out of vents as a kid to grab food, dodging the blue shirts, moving between cover as a soldier. It's just second nature now."

"Well it certainly makes my life a lot easier." Smiling at the couple as she entered the room, Dr. Chakwas powered up her omni-tool, quickly checking a few settings in the scanning program before approaching Liara. Del stepped away, but only slightly.

Running the scanner over the asari, Chakwas nodded approvingly. "Looks like things are finally progressing. How are you feeling Liara?"

"Exhausted, but excited. I just wish our daughter was as ready to meet us as we are to meet her."

"It shouldn't be too much longer now. You are almost fully dilated, and as Shepard noted the contractions are nearly at the five minute mark-"

Almost as if on cue Liara exhaled sharply, Shepard's arms automatically encircling her to provide whatever comfort she could. Clinging to Del's forearm hard enough to leave faint impressions when she let go, Liara could feel herself trembling as the contraction subsided.

"I hope so. I do not know how much more of this I can take."

Chakwas nodded. "I think it may be time to enter the pool."

As she stepped out to do a final check on the birthing room, Liara suddenly felt incredibly nervous. As though sensing her shift in mood Shepard drew her close, placing a series of small kisses along Liara's jaw.

"It's ok Li, I'm here. I'm just going to get undressed, ok?"

Making sure Liara was steady, she quickly stripped down to her underthings, then took hold of her again, helping her into the pool room. A UV curtain had been activated at the door, sterilizing both Shepard and Liara as they passed through it.

Dr. Chakwas and a nurse were within. They had put on skin-suits for the pool, and were finishing with the equipment they needed.

As they neared the pool side, Del glanced at Liara. She could see the asari struggling to disrobe herself, shaking fingers unable to release the ties on her gown.

"Here, let me."

Gently unfastening the gown, Shepard slipped it off Liara's shoulders, unable to help herself as her eyes roamed over every inch of blue skin as it was revealed. She took in the sight of her pregnant bond mate as though she had been blind her whole life and this was the first time she could see. Exhausted as she was, Liara was still practically glowing. Brushing her lips past the asari's cheek Shepard leaned in close.

"You are so beautiful. My Goddess."

Del felt Liara shiver slightly against her, her whispered reply barely audible.

"You can still say that even though I have been acting like a thresher maw with a sore tooth for hours now?"

Moving back just enough to lock her eyes with Liara's, Shepard cupped her face and softly kissed her. "I love you Tianlàn. Beyond all measure, and all hope."

As Liara colored a little, Del dipped in and kissed the tip of her nose, then took her hands and slowly led her into the pool. The asari sighed in relief as the buoyancy of the water lessened the pressure on her lower back. The water was pleasantly warm, lapping gently just beneath the bottom of Liara's ribcage. Del helped her to sit in the low sling that would keep her in a semi-reclined position, seating herself beside her and winding her arm around her shoulder as Chakwas did another scan.

"Things look good. Comfortable?" When Liara nodded, Helen continued. "I'd say just a few more minutes until you can begin pushing, Liara. I'll tell you when. Would you like some pain medication?"

"N-No, I think I will be all right. Shepard may need some though."

"Ha ha," Del smiled gently, stroking a damp hand over her crest. Liara tensed as another contraction hit, gritting her teeth with a sharp cry. Del held her tight, ignoring the strength with which the asari clenched on to her fingers, softly urging her to breathe. As the contraction passed, she had a thought, and looked at Helen.

"Is it…could we meld?" she asked. "Would that help?"

"Not an option," Helen said firmly. "You're not asari. I don't want your head exploding."

"My…what?"

"Before we developed space flight, asari would often meld with their bond mates during labor and birth," Liara explained, rubbing her stomach nervously as she tried to catch her breath. "Afterward, when we started taking mates of other species, we discovered quite horribly that to do a meld with them during labor ended in disaster."

"The fathers, more often than not, suffered catastrophic cerebral hemorrhages, their brains literally tearing themselves apart. It has to do with the extremely high levels of 7H. They dampen biotics, but cause meldings of the nervous systems to be far more powerful than normal. Asari brains are designed to compensate, but our poor gray matter ends up crushed under the force of it," Chakwas said. "It would kill even you, Del."

"In that case…forget I mentioned it."

Liara lifted her hand and kissed it a moment, before another contraction hit. After it passed, Helen nodded. "All right, looks like we're set. Liara, with the next contraction I think you can begin to push."

Del did not release her hold on Liara, grimacing in sympathy with every grit-toothed, growling cry that she uttered, praising and reassuring her as every contraction passed and she panted for air. It was during one of these pauses for breath, a short respite between contractions, that the nurse monitoring the equipment suddenly tapped Helen's arm. The older woman glanced at the equipment, then at Del as she focused on Liara.

"Li, stop pushing," she said firmly. "Next contraction, do not push, whatever you do."

"Wh-what? Why?"

Helen didn't have a chance to respond as another contraction came. Overwhelmed by it a moment, Liara struggled against the overwhelming instinct to push. Del held her through it, and as it started to pass she looked sharply at Chakwas.

"What's going on?"

"Her blood pressure is spiking too high," Helen said. "Something's happening. I need another full scan."

Del tried not to get alarmed as the nurse quickly scanned her again. Helen looked at the results, and at the sudden tightening of her jaw Del felt her heart drop.

"What?"

"Shepard, I'm sorry, you're going to have to leave," Helen said firmly, then nodded at the nurse. "Get some assistance in here."

"Leave? I'm not going to leave! What's going on?"

"Wh-what's happening?" Liara asked.

"Liara, we need to take you out of the pool," Helen told her quickly. "The baby has twisted and caused a Unideral tear. The scans showed her crest was still soft but apparently the larger folds masked a smaller one-"

"What does that mean?" Del demanded.

"It means that a small part of the baby's crest has already hardened: the Unideral Effect. It's rare but it happens. Normally the crest remains soft so it folds back during birthing, and doesn't harden until the infant is six months old. Sometimes, parts of it harden too soon. When the baby twisted her crest tore into the birth canal and she's now stuck at an awkward angle. Liara, your blood pressure is spiking in reaction to hers- she's in medical distress, and you have started bleeding rather badly. Do not push, whatever you do. If you push you could seriously injure Irie and tear yourself even more. We need to get her moved out of the position she's in and seal that tear immediately, but we can't do it in the water. Del, I need you to leave."

"I'm not leaving-!"

"You are."

The orderlies hurried in, helping the nurse to lift Liara out of the sling, getting ready to maneuver her out of the pool. Del held tight to her, her fear blatant in her eyes. "Li-"

"Shepard, I-"

She broke off as another contraction hit, halting them lifting her as she cried out in pain, fighting desperately not to push.

"Del, she needs to concentrate and so do I!" Helen said. "Meld or no meld you two still have a very strong bond and your panic is going to make things worse. I need her blood pressure to go down and you need to leave!"

"I can't-"

Li's head lolled back suddenly against Del's shoulder, her body going limp.

"Li?" Feeling a flood of warmth around her, Del looked down into water – obscured now by a heavy cloud of sapphire. "Li!"

"We need the bed, get her out of the pool!" Helen ordered. The orderlies bodily hauled the limp asari out of the water, pulling her out of Del's arms as the nurse pulled the hideaway bio-bed out of the wall nearby. Scrambling out after them, Del grabbed for her wife's hand as they went to lay her down, then jerked back as Helen gripped hold of her arm, stepping between them and fixing Shepard's gaze intently.

"Leave or your wife and daughter are going to die! I need to do this now! Go!"

Stumbling back, eyes fixing on Liara's pale face a moment, Shepard turned and fled the room.

An hour passed. Shepard had spent the first half of it pacing the waiting room, hands frantically clenching and loosening again, before Nan finally got her to sit down. Though she had semi-dried and re-dressed, damp patches on her clothes showed the minimal effort she'd put into it.

She barely heard Nan's quiet reassurances and attempts at comfort. All she could think about was that she was going to lose Liara. After all that had happened, everything they'd been through, she was going to lose the love of her life like this, without even being able to be at her side.

She had her face in her hands, fingers threaded through her hair, staring at the empty space on the floor between her feet, when the door opened again. Instantly her head lifted, her red-rimmed eyes fixing on Chakwas as she got to her feet.

"Liara-?"

"Is sleeping," Helen said softly, smiling. "We were able to stop the bleeding and seal the tear. She'll be just fine, Shepard."

Del felt her shoulders sag in relief, so strong she nearly felt dizzy in the wake of it. She covered her eyes with a shaking hand as Nan's arm wound around her waist, the older woman unable to keep the breathy sob from her voice.

"Oh, thank God."

Taking a ragged breath, Del looked up again with urgency as she remembered. "The bab-"

Then her eyes fell on the bundle in Helen's arms…a bundle she had completely missed. The words died in her throat before she could actually speak them, and for a long moment she just stared at the tightly wound white blanket, the infinitesimal little blue fist clenching it.

"Congratulations, Shepard," Helen smiled. "She's perfectly healthy, and perfectly beautiful."

Del's eyes went blurry a moment, her shaking fingers finding their way to her lips a moment before she lowered them again. "She's all right?"

"She's absolutely fine, and eager to meet you."

Helen reached out, Shepard startling a little as she instinctively took hold of the bundle with a wordless protest, a faint shake of her head. Her arms awkwardly settled, and just that fast…she was holding her daughter.

She looked from the blanket to Helen, wide-eyed, before she regarded the blanket again as if a grenade was secreted in it, about to explode. Nan reached past her arm, shifting the blanket a little to be able to see the infant's face.

Little Irie had one fist tucked under her chin, the other still clinging to the edge of her blanket. Her eyes were closed, her lower lip slightly pooched as if she were deeply considering the most mysterious philosophies of existence. Tiny, almost invisible freckles peppered her little nose.

"Del, she's absolutely an angel," Nan whispered. As if without conscious control, Del lifted her fingers and lightly brushed them over the little girl's cheek. At the touch, Irie stretched a little, her contemplation deepening a bit before she yawned. Her mouth worked sleepily, a dream of nursing, before her eyes cracked open. Beneath the faint, unfocused fog of all newborns, they shone a pale lavender grey. She seemed to regard the face looming over her with puzzlement.

Del's usual self-control seemed to have completely shattered. Tears flooded her eyes, and she desperately fought them back before finally finding her voice.

"Hey, you…" she whispered roughly. "I'm your Bába…"

Liara woke up slowly, the heavy weight of sedation reluctantly releasing their grip. At first, she felt nothing more than distant, unconcerned confusion. Shifting her hand on a soft blanket, she didn't feel the familiar rising swell, her belly now notably flatter. Memory returned suddenly at the sensation. Alarmed, she turned her head.

Del sat in a chair nearby, her feet pulled up underneath her. Her attention wasn't on Liara, but rather what she was holding in her arms, her face rapt. As she stroked a tiny cheek, the infant fussed a bit, letting out a mewling cry.

"Hush Baby Blue, it's ok. Your Mama is just resting, she's going to be fine."

"You are a natural."

Del looked up instantly as Liara spoke. Rising immediately, she carefully set the bundled baby in a nearby bassinette, before she crouched at the bedside, taking Liara's hand and gently stroking the other over her crest.

"Hey," she said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired and…unfocused, but all right," she replied. "Irie…"

"She's just fine," Del whispered. "And you're just fine. Helen took care of you, just like she promised."

"I want to see her..."

As she started to shift a little, trying to push herself up, Del gently took hold of her. Adjusting the bed, she helped Liara to sit up, making her take some ice chips and peering with concern into her face, before the asari gave a reassuring nod.

Carefully, as if handling glass, Del gingerly lifted the baby from the bassinette again. As she eased her into Liara's arms she slipped up next to her on the bed as well. Liara felt emotions she had no name for filling her as she took in her daughter's face, Del laying a soft kiss on her temple.

"She's so beautiful, Li," Shepard said. "Just like her Mama…"

Chakwas lightly knocked on the door of the suite, but no answer came. Gently easing it open, she stepped inside, her eyes going automatically to the monitor readouts on the nearby computer screen, before actually shifting to the occupants. There, she halted.

The bed had been adjusted, Liara propped up with the baby cradled to her. Shepard was on the bed with her as well- Liara's cheek resting on the top of Del's head which was resting on the asari's shoulder. Shepard had her arms protectively wrapped around both Liara and Irie.

All three were asleep.

Lifting a hand to her mouth Chakwas barely managed to stifle her sob, eyes swimming as she quietly backed out of the room and closed the door. Leaning her forehead against the cool timber of the door she suddenly felt for the briefest moment as though everything was finally right in the universe.

"Well done, Captain," she whispered. "Well done."