A/N: I feel like it's probably important to note that I don't really write angst. There is too much damn angst in the world. This is more or less a happy ending to Shepard's crazy life. Yeah, people can argue until the cows come home that Shepard is a character who should die at the end. But you know what? SCREW THOSE PEOPLE WE WANT HAPPY ENDINGS! Look at Star Wars. Luke overcame insurmountable odds by defeating Satan incarnate and survived and those movies are CLASSICS for a reason. So whatever.

Chapter 3

"Okay, Shepard. Moment of truth," Garrus said, holding up a mirror. He was sitting on the chair next to her bed that Liara had been occupying for four weeks. Liara had only relinquished it to take care of some Shadow Broker business. "You can't avoid it forever."

"I can try," Shepard grumbled. It was easier to pretend her face didn't look like she'd stuck it in a blender.

"Oh come on. You can bring down an entire mechanical ancient army, and you can't look in a mirror?" he teased.

"Gimme that thing," Shepard said, grabbing the mirror from his hands.

Garrus laughed. "There's that infamous Shepard fire I know so well. I thought for a second there she was on hiatus."

Shepard stuck out her tongue then looked in the mirror.

"Shit," was all Shepard could say about the matter. A rather raw looking scar ran across her face, starting on her lower left jaw and ran across her left eye all the way into her hairline.

"Hell Shepard, you were always ugly," Garrus repeated the words Shepard had so kindly said to him when he got his scars on Omega. "And I've been waiting to be able to say that to you."

Shepard laughed, then pulled the same face he had. "Damn, it still hurts to laugh."

"So, Shepard, now that all this Reaper business is over, what are your plans for you and the Missus?" he asked, pouring her a mug of the most delicious smelling coffee in the known universe. "Technically" she was only supposed to eat hospital crap, but Garrus had taken pity on her and smuggled in some actual food.

"We haven't had much of a chance to talk about it," Shepard said, accepting the mug. She savored the smell for a moment. "Garrus, I want to tell you because you're . . . well you're Garrus. You're my best friend. I want you to be the first to know. Liara and I are having a baby."

She waited nervously for his reaction, but she didn't have to wait long. A bit of shock passed over his face, followed by a huge grin."Well I'll be damned. T'Soni wasn't kidding about all those stamina tests!" he chuckled. "Damn, I'm going to be an uncle. That's wonderful, Shepard!"

Shepard felt a smile make its way across her lips. She couldn't help it. Garrus just made her happy. "Thanks, Garrus."

"Wait . . . when did you have time . . .?" he let the question finish itself with a look of confusion. Then he thought the better of it. "You know what? It's none of my business. I'm just glad you survived. If you would have left Liara to be a single mother, I'd have had to hunt you down in the afterlife and kick your ass."

"I'd kick my own ass if I did that. I was promised little blue babies. If that's not a reason to fight like hell to live, I don't know what is."

Garrus chuckled, then held up his mug of turian coffee. "Here's to you, Commander Shepard. Hero of the galaxy, mother-to-be, and the best damn friend this turian could ask for."

"To us," Shepard added. "Because without you, without my team, I could never have done what I did."

Garrus nodded in appreciation of the praise and they both drank deeply from their mugs.

"Damn I've missed this stuff," Shepard said with an euphoric look on her face. "I've only been awake for a week and I'm about ready to go postal from all this hospital food."

"Speaking of, T'Soni and I were talking about having you transferred to your apartment for physical therapy. You're healing up so well, there's no point in making you stay in this stuffy hospital. What do you think?"

A huge grin spread on Shepard's marred face. "I think that's the best news I've heard all week."

Shepard was awakened sometime in the night by a stabbing pain in her side from her shrapnel wound. The doctors had removed it successfully, but it still hurt like hell. A lamp light flickered in the corner and she saw Liara hunched over a slew of data pads and Glyph was hovering next to her doing whatever it was Glyph did. Shepard's entire being filled with warmth just looking at her lover. They'd been through the gates of hell and somehow, their love survived. After a moment of deliberation she decided Liara worked too hard.

"Liara?"

The asari glanced over her shoulder then quickly came to Shepard's side. "Are you okay? I can call the nurse if-," she started, but Shepard stopped her by placing a hand over her lover's.

"Liara," Shepard said softly, "I'm okay. I just miss you."

Liara glanced back at her pile of data pads, then sat on the edge of the bed. "Glyph, save my progress and export all the data I just I fnished to the network."

"At once, Dr. T'Soni," Glyph said in his usual chipper voice.

She turned her attention back to Shepard. "I'm sorry. I've been trying to finish up a project. It's just been taking up more time than I thought it would."

"Can we . . . talk?" Shepard asked. She didn't know why she hesitated. She considered herself a very confident person overall, but sometimes Liara had a way about her. It was probably because she was so determined to not be controlling with Liara. She had to control every damn little thing in her life; the last thing she wanted to do was be a controlling partner too. She couldn't do that to her beloved asari.

"Of course," Liara said. She slipped off her boots and swung her legs up on the bed next to Shepard. "What's on your mind?"

"You," Shepard replied. With a small wince of pain, she sat up and placed a hand on Liara's stomach. "And her."

Expectant sapphire eyes penetrated deep into Shepard's soul with but a look. It sent a shiver up the human's spine. She loved that look. She lived for that look.

"I had an idea," Shepard continued. "What do you think about living on Thessia? I was thinking about it, and . . . well I hate to admit this, but we humans are used to rebuilding because our entire history is littered with war. But the asari aren't a warlike people. You're an amazing, clever, intelligent, peaceful people. I just feel like I could do the most good on Thessia."

Liara leaned over and placed an infinitely tender kiss on Shepard's cheek. "That's a wonderful idea," she whispered, nuzzling into Shepard's neck.

Shepard found that extremely arousing, so in order to distract herself she continued, "Oh, and the Alliance offered me a promotion to Admiral, but I'm thinking about turning it down."

Liara pulled back to look at her. "Why?"

"Since this damn war started, I've been the soldier, a weapon of violence. I don't want to be that anymore. I won this war so this galaxy could know peace. I want to be a symbol of peace, and it would be pretty hypocritical of me to continue to be a weapon. I've already sent a message to the Council requesting to be an ambassador."

She saw emotion well up in those beautiful blue eyes she had so come to love. It broke her heart. She wanted to take all of Liara's sadness away.

"Shepard," Liara whispered, brushing the human's cheek with her hand.

"Hey," Shepard said, softly tipping Liara's chin up. "What is it?"

"Nothing, I just . . ." she trailed off, taking a moment to gaze into Shepard's eyes. "I'm just . . . I love you, Nicole Shepard. So much."

Shepard rested her forehead against Liara's, basking in the tender moment. "I love you too, Liara," she whispered.

She laced her fingers with Liara's but paused when she felt the fabric of gloves. She pulled back and gave the offending fabric a scrutinizing look. Liara smiled softly. "Sorry. Habit."

Liara pulled her gloves off, giving Shepard a seductive look the entire time. Shepard felt her cheeks flush. "You're making it extremely difficult to behave."

"Oh am I?" Liara teased, her voice taking on that delicious, "I want you" tone.

"I believe the salarian doctor's exact words were, 'no intercourse for at least eight weeks. Need to make sure bones heal properly. And spine fully healed.'"

"Who said anything about intercourse?" Liara said with a playfully raised brow marking. She took Shepard's non-bandaged hand and lifted it to her cheek. "I am in my Commander's arms. I have everything I could ever want, right here."

"Your Commander?" Shepard teased, leaning closer to her lover.

"My Commander," she repeated, her eyes turning several shades darker. "Mine."