Past Continued: 15 Years Post War

As she stepped into the foyer of the grand house, she heard rushing footsteps- more than a single pair. Swinging Mel off her back, Del watched as Irie and Daenys appeared at the top of the staircase and came barreling down.

Daenys was only a few weeks older than Irie, and the two had become fast friends when Liara and Del's small family had moved to Thessia. It still gave Shepard a faint twinge of grief to look at her, to remember Sydney had never even gotten a chance to hold her daughter. She knew without a doubt her late best friend would have adored everything about Daenys.

Though graceful and soft-spoken like her mother, Dae not only had Syd's amber eyes but her cocky, smart-ass sense of humor. Dae seemed to bridge the odd gap between Irie and Mel: she was as intellectual, fashionable, and elegant as Irie was, yet was unafraid to handle a gun or go shoving stubbornly into the middle of any crises like Mel did.

Irie hit the bottom of the staircase first, rushing up and flinging her arms around Shepard happily. Del hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek. "Hey, there's my beautiful little Nub."

"Bába, I am so happy you made it home on time!"

"Course I did! I wouldn't miss tonight for all the credits in the galaxy!" As she loosened her hold on her eldest, Del looked at her with wonder. "I swear you've grown a foot since I last saw you."

"Bába, you know that is impossible," Irie smiled. "You were only gone two weeks. My height has only increased by .33 centimeters."

"Well, feels like years and looks like feete. Your Mama still up in her office?"

"Yes, she is speaking with Aunt Navis."

"Is she in a good mood?"

Irie eyed her father. "She is in a perfectly equitable mood…for now. Why? What did you do?"

"What makes you think I did anything?"

Mel wasn't taken in either, folding her arms with a huff. "Because the only time you ask if Mama's in a good mood is when you've done something that's gonna put her in a bad one," she said.

"That is patently not true," she replied, picking up her pack where she'd dropped it. "Come on then. I've got presents. Let's go say hello to your Mama."

As they started toward the stairs, Mel was more visibly eager at the idea of presents than Irie seemed to be. Del knew her eldest well enough to know that she was excited as well, but determined to remain poised and calm about the matter.

In such a hurry to grow up, Del thought sadly. Doesn't she know she's already growing up way too fast?

They reached the office, the door standing open. Liara was facing her consoles, with Navis leaning nearby. As Del and the kids strode in, Liara straightened and smiled.

"I thought that was your engine," she said, striding over as Shepard passed her pack to Mel and held her arms out. The two embraced, Del clinging to her tightly a moment, just taking in her scent.

"I missed you," she said.

"I missed you too," Liara replied. Drawing back a little, she lightly cupped Del's face, before the sound of a zipper reached them. Turning around, Shepard snatched the pack back out of Mel's hands.

"Hey! No peeking, you little pest!"

"Aww, Bába!"

"You'll get your present when I give it to you, soldier. Buck up and be patient."

"That may not be for some time," Liara said, giving Mel a meaningful look…one that almost immediately made the girl shrink back.

"Why's that?" Del asked. "Mel?"

"She had probably hoped that I had forgotten," Liara said. "Melara, tell your father what happened last week."

Melara looked sullen, scuffing her foot as she looked between her parents. At her silence, Liara folded her arms. "Do you want to tell her or do you want me to tell her?"

Mel scowled, then mumbled under her breath.

"Speak up, Mel," Del said sternly. Melara cleared her throat, her posture stiffening as she lifted her head a bit.

"I got into a fight, ma'am," she said.

"A fight? With who?"

"Dundrin Guff," she replied.

"Guff? You got into a fight with a krogan boy?"

"Yes ma'am," she said, and shuffled again. "He said I was a liar."

Liara looked at her bondmate. "When the teacher called her name in class, Mel asked the teacher to no longer call her Melara T'Soni…that she had made a decision and would much rather be called Melara Shepard."

Del was flabbergasted. Both girls, following asari tradition, had been registered under the name T'Soni. Neither had ever shown any indications that they wanted to be called anything different. Secretly, Del had been a bit relieved. As it was, T'Soni was still a rather famous name, but compared to the name Shepard-…well. It would earn a lot of attention…and not all of it good.

"You want to be Melara Shepard?" Del asked. Melara bobbed her head self-consciously.

"Yes, ma'am."

"We need to talk about that, Melara, but not right now. What happened with Guff?"

"When I told the teacher that, he laughed and said I was a liar," she replied. "He said that I was a T'Soni, and that Shepard was a great hero and that I was just stealing your name to get attention."

"It does not seem as though Guff actually knew Melara is your daughter," Liara said. "He thought she was making it up to become important."

"So I hit him. Right in the throat," Melara said. Del lifted her brows.

"The throat?"

"Yeah. I remembered what you said about krogan. Eyes or throat…everywhere else will break your hand. So I hit him in the throat and when he bent over I hit him in the eye. He never even got to swing at me."

"Really? That's pretty impress-"

"Del!"

"-…I mean, you shouldn't have hit him, Melara."

"He called me a liar!"

"Are you a liar?" Del asked.

"No!"

"Then what does it matter if he called you one?"

"But Bába-"

"Your Mama is right, Mel. The present will wait. Right now I want you to go and sit in your room and wait for me. I'm going to come talk to you in a little while and we're going to discuss just when we do and do not hit people, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," she said softly, a sullen pout appearing before she turned and walked out of the room. Del wiped a hand over her face with a sigh.

"Come along, you two," Navis said, walking over and ushering Irie and Dae toward the door. "Let us get started on lunch, give them a chance to talk."

As the other three left, softly closing the door, Shepard shook her head. "She's too much like me, Li."

Liara stepped in close, winding her arms around Del's waist. "She is a child, my love. Children do silly things now and again. It is not like she gets into fights constantly…this is her first one."

"Yeah, but it only has to start with one," Del told her. "I don't want her to grow up to be me, Liara. I don't want her hitting every problem to make it go away. I don't want her to have that kind of…of anger."

"Del, stop…" Liara said gently, looking into her eyes. "Melara has a wonderful life, a wonderful family and a wonderful Bába. Some level of anger is normal, and healthy. I am not saying it is appropriate for her to be fighting, but it is understandable. She absolutely adores you. To be honest, from the time she was walking I was wondering how long it would take for her to request your surname."

"I don't know how I feel about that," Del said. "I don't want her getting that kind of attention. It might make her a target-"

"I share those fears, but it is her decision." She inclined her head a little as Del looked broodingly toward the door. "You say you do not want her to grow up to be you…and yet she is. I do not mean the recklessness, or anger, or the stubbornness- though she is stubborn. I mean the compassion, the strength, the determination to do what is right regardless of what others around you think. She is all the best of you, Shepard. It is wonderful to see. She would do anything to make you proud of her."

"I am proud of her."

Liara smiled softly, then leaned in and gently kissed her. "Go, speak to her. Presents can wait."

"Ok…but then I need to speak to you," Del said.

"I will be here. We have some hours before we need to be at the amphitheater. There is time."

They kissed again, intense but brief. Del held her tight a moment afterward. "I missed you, Tianlán."

"I missed you too," Liara whispered, kissing her cheek before stepping back. "Go on. Talk to your daughter. I will be here."

Mel sat at the foot of her bed, sullen and quiet. Del knocked lightly as she stepped in, a small box in her hands. Going over she sat down beside her child, setting the box aside before putting her arm around Mel's shoulders. After a brief moment of hesitation, Melara leaned against her with a sniffle.

"I'm sorry, Bába. I shouldn't have hit Guff."

"No, you shouldn't have. Words only hurt if you let them, little one. You know the truth, and nothing anyone says can change that. Remember. It's only ok to hit or to shoot if it's necessary to protect someone's liberty or life. Holding a gun or lifting a fist, using your biotics- those are serious powers, Mel. You need to be respectful of those powers, and what they can do. They are a last resort, not a first one."

"Irie would know that," Melara whispered. Del frowned.

"What does that mean?"

The nine year old sniffled. "Irie's smarter than me. I know that-"

"Hey! Kiddo, you look at me." She cupped Mel's chin, lifting her head. "I don't want to hear that nonsense. Irie is Irie, and you are you. Irie is not smarter than you."

"She is. She got all those astrophysics awards before she was even my age. She's in the top of her class-"

"Is a fish smarter than a bird?" Del asked. Mel blinked at her.

"What?"

"If you take a fish and throw it into the air, does it fly?"

"No, it'd just kind of fall and then wiggle on the ground."

"Why?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Because it's a fish. They don't fly."

"Exactly. The same if you took the bird and threw it in a lake. The bird would drown, but the fish would be fine. Does that make the fish smarter than the bird, or the bird smarter than the fish? No. It just makes them different. Just like you and Irie are different. She likes astrophysics and science and biology and music. That is her being a bird in a tree. You like wrestling and target practice and boxing and zee-gee ball and camping. You know how to string a bow and find the proper berries to eat in the wild- does Irie know how to do that?"

"No."

"That's because that is you, being a fish in a lake. You are smart, Mel. You are incredibly clever, far smarter than I could ever hope to be. Smart enough to remember that if you hit a krogan, you aim for the soft spots."

Mel sniffled and wiped her face, and Del smiled conspiratorially. "I bet he dropped like a wet sack."

Mel giggled. "Yeah. He kind of just flopped on the ground."

Del grinned. "That's my girl. And if I know anything about krogan- which I do-you probably just made a best friend for life."

Giving her child a gentle squeeze, she reached over and picked up the box, handing it to her. "This is your present, Melara. Straight from Earth, as I promised."

Mel turned it over in her hands, uncertain. "Mama said-"

"I know. It's our secret. Go on."

Opening the box, Mel reached in and pulled out a chain. Hanging from it were a pair of Alliance dog-tags. Her eyes went huge as she looked them over. "These are-"

"Real, and all yours. I talked to Fleet Master Hackett. I still need to speak to your Mama about it but as far as the Alliance is concerned, if you want to join the Junior Academy next year, they are more than happy to have you."

Melara gave out a squeal, flinging her arms around Del's neck and hugging her tight. "I love you, Bába!"

Del hugged her back, closing her eyes with a smile.

"I love you too, you little pest," she said. "I love you too."

"You are serious?" Liara asked, staring at her bondmate as she slowly sat down on a nearby chair.

"Yeah, I'm serious," Del replied. "C'mon, Li…you of all people know how restless I've been."

"I know, and…I suppose I always knew this day was coming. I just…perhaps I hoped it would not be so soon."

Del moved over, crouching in front of Liara and taking her hands. "I know it's not fair of me to ask it of you, Liara. If you say the word, I'll send him a message right now and tell him no."

"And that would be fair to you?" Liara asked. "This is part of who you are, Shepard. This is part of why I fell in love with you."

"I know, but you and the girls are the most important things in my life. More important than even this. I can live without this- I can't live without you. The girls have friends here, a home. I can't uproot them from that just on my whim."

"You are hardly doing this out of a whim, Del. I know you have been thinking this over for some time. Part of me even knew that was the true reason Hackett asked you back to Earth. I…what would it involve?"

"No ship," Del promised. "I wouldn't be running all over the galaxy, throwing myself into combat. He wants me to head up the N7 training program. It would include occasional off-world training missions but nothing like it was on the Normandy. I would be home most every night, have days off to be with you and the girls."

"But we must move to Earth…"

"The N7 training headquarters are in Sao Paolo," Shepard nodded. "We would have to move to Earth."

Liara's eyes turned distant, contemplative, and Del squeezed her hands. "I mean it, Tianlán. You say the word and I'll turn him down."

Liara looked at her, then gently stroked her fingers over Del's scarred cheek. "I love you, Shepard. You are a Marine, through and through…it is what you were born for, what you will always be. You and I both knew when we married that you would not stay out of it forever. I can move my base of operations easily enough, but…we must discuss this with the girls. It means leaving school, their friends-..."

"I know," Shepard said, then wiped a finger over her lips. "The girls were another thing we need to discuss- well, not so much Irie, as Melara."

"Oh?"

"You know how badly she wants to be in the Alliance," she said. "Hackett gave her permission to join the Junior Academy next year if she wanted to do so. It's an amazing opportunity for her, Liara. Despite the war, the Alliance itself remains a human organization. This is a big deal. Mel would be among the first allowed into any Alliance program like this."

"Among the first?"

"Well, you know Earth has been quite liberal about allowing non-human species to live and work dirt side. With the Citadel in orbit Earth is becoming a lot more diverse. Kids are being born there, knowing no other home- krogan kids, turian, asari…Earth is their home now as much as it is any human born there. More and more interest has been coming up for those kids to join the Alliance, and this year the doors are opening. Mel would be going to the Junior Academy along with two other asari and a turian boy."

Liara looked unsure. Del regarded her gently. "It's what she wants, Li. Ever since she heard the stories-"

"Must I stand and watch a child of mine throw herself into danger, the way I had to stand and watch you do so?" Liara asked. Del lowered her head.

"I know, Blue…I do. Part of me wants to keep her away from anything even remotely resembling the military, whatever the flag. You know as well as I do though, that it's not going to stop her. She'll just wait until she's old enough and then become a commando, or a huntress, or a merc...and resent us for not supporting her dreams. I'd much rather have her in the Alliance than wearing an Eclipse uniform, and it's where she wants to be."

"I know," Liara said softly. "But…surely she is too young yet, even as humans measure things?"

"The Junior Academy is a military school," Del said. "Ten is the age they first allow new students. It wasn't around when I was her age…not that it would have much mattered. They teach regular academics there as well as some military prep. They even have biotics instructors. And it's in Sao Paolo too, so she won't have to be boarded for weeks at a time…she can still come home every night, sleep in her own bed."

Liara rose from the chair, stepping past Del as the human woman straightened, and walking over to her window. She hugged herself lightly as she thought. "We must discuss this with them. We make no decisions save as a family."

"Of course," Shepard said, stepping up behind her and winding her in her arms. "Of course."

"We shall discuss it tomorrow. Tonight is for Irie."

"Deal," Del said, then kissed the side of her neck before smiling coyly. "At least, until we get back home and get into bed."

Liara sighed a little, smiling in return. "You are insatiable, my love."

"Exactly, and it's been two whole weeks. Too much longer and I'll wither and die."

Liara chuckled, turning to face her as she slid her arms around her shoulders. "Well now. We cannot have that, can we?"

Irie had learned to sing before she'd learned to speak.

It seemed almost the moment she could make constant, voluntary vocalizations, the little asari was endlessly humming to herself as she played or picked at food that she particularly liked. Whenever Del heard it, she was reminded of that day back on Earth, when Irie had been conceived. She hadn't been aware of what was going on at the time, but she did remember standing on that vast field of stars and hearing the incredible, endless music.

As the little girl slowly grew older, Del used to play her guitar for her. Irie would often come over and lay her head on the flank of the instrument, listening to the vibrations as Del plucked the strings and usually humming along with them or patting her hand in time on the polished wood.

When they'd first come to Thessia, one of the first things Liara had done was find a voice coach for her, to help her further develop her talent. Irie loved every moment of it- she was never happier than she was when she was singing.

Now fourteen years of age, she had more than grown into her talent. Sitting with Liara and Mel in the darkened amphitheater, Shepard watched and listened as her older daughter sang one of the old asari victories, hand over her mouth and dark eyes glistening, rapt.

It wasn't just the beauty of the music or her singing voice. It was the way she all but glowed standing there, radiating a light and love that seemed to embrace every listener personally. Her joy and energy was unmistakable.

When the song ended and the audience fell into applause, Del surreptitiously wiped her eyes and stood with the rest of them, clapping and whistling as she cheered her Little Blue.

Irie's cheeks were flushed with delight as she ran backstage again, every cell of her being seeming to react to the sheer energy of the audience. Her voice teacher was waiting for her, heaping praise and only expanding her grin, before she shooed the girl off to the changing room. There were four others that still had to do their recitals before the show would be over.

Her heart still pounding, basking in the joy she had felt, she ran down the darkened hall to the lit changing rooms. Her hand had just fallen to the door release when someone behind her cleared their throat.

Looking around, she saw an unfamiliar asari approaching her. "Are you Irie T'Soni?" she asked.

"Yes," Irie replied, frowning a little. Maybe this was a parent of one of the other singers? She thought she had met most of the others' families. "Who are you?"

"You must come with me," the stranger said, glancing back in the shadows a moment before taking Irie's arm. Immediately the girl twisted out of her grip and drew back against the door.

"What? Do not touch me! Who are you? What do you want?"

"Irie, there is no time. You are in great danger right now, I need to get you outside-"

Alarm filled her chest, her heart racing again. "D-Danger? What danger-?"

"Listen! There is no time. They'll try and be discreet with all the witnesses around, and I cannot risk using my biotics in here. We must go outside!"

"I am not going anywhere with you! I do not even know who you are! My Bába-"

"-is Captain Delilah Shepard, I know. Your Mama is Liara T'Soni, who also happens to be my sister."

"Wh-what? You-"

"Irie, I am your Aunt Eír. Please, you must trust me."