A/N: YYYAAAYYY THANK YOU SO MUCH FASTERGHOST FOR SAVING CHAPTER 45!
Chapter 46
When Liara hit her four month mark, they decided it was time to tell their daughters that they were going to have a little sister in a few months time. Shepard had been bursting to tell them since the day their third was conceived, but Liara had patiently talked her out of it on account that Aethyta was there that day, and she didn't want to have to deal with all the remarks she would inevitably make.
Shepard adjusted her sunglasses and looked out over the newest addition to their estate: a huge swimming pool in their back yard. Her twins were currently laughing and splashing around with Liara while Shepard sun bathed in the grass. Both her daughters were floating around on inflatable crocodiles, pretending they were crocodiles themselves, and making adorable "rawr" noises. Shepard's face split into a huge grin. Her daughters were so impossibly cute. And she was about to add another one to the fray. She was fairly sure she would explode from happiness in that moment.
She suddenly sprang to her feet and took a running leap into the pool. As soon as she hit the water with a splash big enough to cause a small tidal wave, her daughters squealed and screamed and giggled so hard they both fell off their inflatable crocs. Liara laughed and splashed Shepard in the face when she surfaced again, causing the human to reply with a, "Gah!"
Elaria doggy-paddled over to her daddy and latched onto her back.
"Daddy, give me a piggy-butt wide!"
Shepard burst out laughing at her daughter's adorableness. "Piggy-butt ride?" she repeated, turning to offer up her back to her daughter. Elaria latched onto her shoulders and Shepard started swimming around, apparently Elaria's new floaty device. "I think you mean piggy-back ride, little one."
Liara suddenly hoisted Naiala up in the air and tossed her back in the pool several feet away with a huge splash. As soon as Naiala surfaced, she immediately giggled and squealed and demanded Liara do it again. Liara did so about ten more times until little Naiala was panting from the exertion of it all. With a laugh that never ceased to fill Shepard's heart with happiness, Liara snatched Naiala up in her arms and attacked her with kisses to her little face. Naiala giggled and grinned so hard it looked as though her face was at risk of falling off.
"Oh no! Naiala is getting attacked!" Shepard said, theatrically throwing her hands up in the air, nearly dumping Elaria off her shoulders in the process. "I guess there's only one thing to do!" Shepard paddled over and joined in the attack of kisses. "Quick Elaria! The only way to save Naiala is by kissing her until she is saved!"
Elaria seemed to think this was the best idea in the world, for she did so with gusto. She planted sloppy wet kisses all over Naiala's face as well, until all four of them were giggling so much they could barely breathe. At some point, Shepard felt the tickle of a little consciousness at the back of her mind, and moments later, her twins were flooding into her and Liara's mind in an elated, uncontrolled family meld. The first flood of innocent love washed over them, which of course made Shepard pull her family to her in a tight embrace.
'Wassat, Mama?' Naiala suddenly sent over.
Somewhere in the midst of all the adoration pouring off her twins, Shepard felt confusion mingled in. It took her and Liara several moments to figure it out, but when she did, Shepard's face split into an even bigger grin.
'Should we tell them, love?' Shepard sent over.
'Whass in you belly, Mama?' Elaria added.
"That, my dear little ones, is your little sister," Liara answered aloud. She was positively glowing with pride and happiness. It made Shepard's chest ache with happiness. She leaned over and kissed her wife fiercely on the cheek.
"Widdle sistow?" Naiala echoed.
"That's right," Shepard answered. "Mama's growing another little sister in her belly. You're going to have a little sister in about six months."
Naiala and Elaria both placed their hands on Liar's stomach, their eyes wide with wonder.
"Izzat her?" Elaria asked in such a sweetly humble voice it broke Shepard's heart all over again.
Liara kissed both her daughter's crests. "It is."
"She's bootiful," Naiala said softly.
Shepard could sense the tiny little presence as well, and she whole-heartedly agreed with her daughter. During their twins' pregnancy, Liara usually shielded their presence from Shepard's mind due to how often they were intimate back then (and sensing the presence of babies was a bit of a mood killer for them both). But now she could feel the tiny little girl inside Liara, still so very delicate and fragile and not fully formed, but still very much there.
"Liara . . . oh Liara, I can feel her," Shepard whispered, pressing her cheek against her wife's. Tears stung the corners of the former Commander's eyes. "Goddess, we're going to have another baby. I love you so much. I love all my girls so much!"
She pulled her family to her in a crushing embrace, the Meld flowing between them, and they all sent adoring thoughts and love to the little girl developing in Liara's womb. Even in her ever-so fragile state, their new daughter sent out a tiny pulse of love.
But for Shepard, it might as well have been a tidal wave.
'Oh my sweet little one. Daddy's here. And I love you. Thank you for coming into my life. Now hurry so I can meet you because I'm already aching to hold you.'
"What is you gonna name her, Mama?" Naiala asked, shifting a little in Liara's arms so she could put her little hand on Liara's stomach.
Shepard and Liara looked at each other and smiled. "Isis," Liara answered.
"Isith?" Elaria echoed. "Whassat?"
"Isis," Shepard said, kissing Elaria's cheek, "was the Ancient Egyptian goddess of protection and life. Since you two were given asari names, we thought we'd give our third a little bit more human name, albeit a bit exotic. I liked the symbolism," she added with a grin.
Elaria looked back down at Liara's belly and also placed her hand there. "I wuv you, Ithis."
Shepard tried. She really did try to call upon all her years as a commander and soldier strength and whatnot to reign in that floodgate of emotion. She failed. And she'd never so happily failed in her life as more joyful tears trickled down her cheeks.
"Who just won best daughters in the universe competition? Commander Shepard, that's who!" she exclaimed, then proceeded to "nom" and kiss them until they giggled so hard they cried right along with her.
As their family meld began to fade, through the last tendrils of biotics, Shepard sent one last powerful wave of gratitude and love into Liara, the mother of her children, the love of her life.
"I love you, Liara T'Soni. Always and Forever," she whispered.
Liara pressed a fierce kiss to her lips. "And I, you, My Commander. Always and forever."