HERS
"Dr. Michel says you can leave the hospital in three days!" the nurse said enthusiastically. "She wanted to give you a heads-up so you can find a permanent place to live."
Shepard heaved a sigh and smiled. "It's about damn time. After Kaidan was discharged, I thought you guys had taken me prisoner. I never want to be in another hospital as long as I live." Crappy food and not enough of it…and no conjugal visits.
The nurse looked down at the Shepard's pregnant belly. "It looks like you'll be back sooner than you think." Shit. Mental note to look in to home births. The nurse chuckled and left the room.
"So who is ready to get out of here?" Kaidan's voice was unmistakeable from behind the curtain in her room.
"By everything that is sacred in this universe, I am! God, I hate hospitals," Shepard effused as her eyes met his, but her face fell when she saw him empty handed. "Kaidan, you didn't bring me any food?" she whined. Always. So. Hungry.
"Sorry, Rach," he laughed and kissed her cheek. "But we actually have some work to do. We have to figure out where we are going to settle. Until they get the mass relays back online, it looks like Earth is the only option." Kaidan opened his omni-tool and started pecking away.
Shepard elbowed him playfully. "Let me guess…you'd like to live in Vancouver?"
Without looking up, Kaidan nodded. "It is where they are still keeping Alliance HQ. It's the most logical choice."
"And we'll have your mom there to be constantly on call to babysit?"
A half laugh escaped Kaidan's lips. "Well, she did mention it before I came over here. She doesn't have anyone else. Maybe she could…"
"Live with us?"
"Well…," Kaidan hesitated. "Perhaps."
"I don't know, Kaidan. I mean, I love your mom, but…" She paused. You are a noisy lover and I in no way want to impede that. "don't you think she might want her own privacy?"
"Yeah, I guess so. We don't have to live far. A quick shuttle away."
"Vancouver sounds great, but how is the rebuilding going?"
"Like anywhere else…slow, but sure. With all the construction going on and the aliens that were stranded here, I'm sure housing has been a priority," Kaidan explained. "Mom still has the cabin in the orchard, so we can stay there with her until we find our own place."
"But…," Shepard protested.
Kaidan was firm. "Just until we find our own place."
He started looking at his omni-tool again. "I was hoping to find some listings, if there were any available." He leaned back beside Shepard in her bed, looking up at the ceiling. "Dream with me, Rach. What do you want in a home?"
"Bulkheads," she said quickly. "And a hot FTL drive stuffed in the back."
"You want to raise a child on a ship?"
"I was, wasn't I?" Shepard reasoned. And I turned out pretty damn awesome.
Kaidan snorted. "Granted, but the only ships out now are just transporting workers from one damaged place to another. No one's in the mood for a fight right now."
"Yeah, you're right," she said, lying back against her pillow. "It wouldn't be right if it wasn't the Normandy anyway…" Her voice trailed off. Where the hell are they?
"Hey, they are ok. We'll hear from them eventually. The comm buoys are getting worked on as we speak and I heard that the mass relays could be back online within 6 months. We figured out how to build that damn Crucible. I'm sure as hell we can fix the relays." Kaidan gave a sad smile to his wife. "I miss them too and I've been doing everything I can to find them when I'm not here with you. Besides, I doubt Joker would let anything destroy a second Normandy, right?"
Shepard laughed at the memory of Joker piloting them to the Collector base. "Yeah, he's damned determined." She touched Kaidan's face. "I never did thank you for disobeying my orders and following me." You stupid, but wonderful dumbass.
His face creased into a slight smile and he looked a bit embarrassed. "I just did what any other lovesick fool would do…who is also still your superior officer. I had regulations on my side."
"I would have been satisfied with the lovesick fool by himself. You know how I feel about regulations."
"As I recall," said Kaidan, "I remember a woman who didn't want to break regulations…at least until I charmed you out of them." I'm pretty sure I was the one who had to do the charming.
Shepard smiled wickedly. "You can charm me out of anything you wish, Major."
"In a few days…in a few days," Kaidan promised. He looked again at his omni-tool. "Now we really need to focus on this or we'll be some homeless Spectres."
"Ok," she replied. "Let's look. Do you think there are any places with a view of English Bay?"
"I'm sure we can find something," Kaidan smiled.
HIS
They walked in to the condo and looked around. "What do you think?" said the real estate agent. "It has 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths, and a gourmet kitchen. It was just finished being rebuilt last week. It's one of the nicest units in the building."
"The view is pretty fantastic," said Kaidan as he opened the sliding glass doors to a balcony. "Even better than the one my parents had."
Shepard furrowed her brow. "I don't know."
"Ok?" Kaidan sighed. What is it this time? This is the 43rd place we've looked at!
"It seems…weird."
He laughed gently. "That's it? Just weird. No 'the hallways are too wide,' 'this bedroom doesn't have any defensible positions,' 'the walls aren't thick enough for an armory safe?'"
"I don't know how else to say it!" Shepard yelled, eyes suddenly brimming with tears. "Nowhere we've looked feels like home!"
Kaidan raised his hand to the agent to silently ask her to leave the room as he walked over to the distraught woman. "Hey…what's wrong? Something's obviously eating at you." He took her hands into his.
A ragged sigh escaped Shepard's lips. "In the hospital, I could ignore all this. I was focused on recovering, on you recovering. Now, it's like, we have this whole new life to live and I don't know what to do with it! There's no Normandy. There may never be again. No Garrus, no Liara, everyone I've ever called family, besides you, gone." A big tear fell from her eyes. She looks so lost. "And here we are doing something normal people do and I don't know how because normal has never been part of my life. I want to be happy, Kaidan. Happy with you, happy with whoever this demon child is that I'm carrying." They both let out a quiet chuckle. Her face went serious again. "Kaidan, how do you find peace when all you've ever known is war?"
He pulled her into his arms and stroked her back. "I think that's something the both of us have to figure out, old soldiers that we are. You've never known anything besides the military life. It's been a long time since I lived anything different too. We can do this, ok?"
"You probably think I'm a fucking moron, huh?" she said, wiping her eyes, but smiling.
"No, I think you are fucking picky as hell and we are going to find a place to live. Today."
"This one is actually pretty great."
"Not weird?" Kaidan asked.
"It's still not a ship, but I think it'll do." Shepard looked down and rubbed her belly. "Besides, I need somewhere to prop my feet up. Your spawn is going to kill me."
Kaidan rolled his eyes and walked to the other room to get the agent. As he brought her back in, he said, "This place is perfect. We'll take it."
A/N: One more chapter to go after this before baby Alenko makes its debut! Please let me know which gender you would like to see in the reviews! Thanks again for all the follows, reviews, and favorites! I'm shocked anyone is still finding this, but pleased that you like it! :)
