A/N: So sorry about the delay. Between real life stuff, college life stuff, and writers block, it's been a rough time. Hope you enjoy and I'm hoping to have the next chapter up next Friday (cross your fingers).

At the end of the vid, all of the crew that had gathered was practically on the ground laughing. Shepard sat serenely next to a hysterical Kaidan and a very stoic, very unamused, Liara.

"See, what'd I tell you- they loved it," Shepard commented to Liara, a small smile playing on her lips.

Joker held tight to his ribs. "'Go go go go go go go!'" he cackled. "'I'm going!'" he finished in a mock-Shepard voice.

James shook his head as he tried to catch his breath. "'Truck!'" he chuckled, doing a fairly good impression of Liara. "I can't believe…you two!" he gasped.

"It was fun- why shouldn't I have enjoyed it? It's not often I get to be in a high speed chase and I get to drive," Shepard pointed out. "It was a nice break from everything that had been going on."

"Nah," Kaidan spoke up, wiping his eyes. "The best was when Liara started talking about head on collisions and you were just like, 'Yeah, I hear those can be bad for you.'"

"There is a reason why no one lets Shepard drive- and that's just one example," Liara pointed out, not at all impressed with the amusement that the crew gleamed from the vid.

"Hey, I am a perfectly acc-"

"Commander," EDI interrupted her, "you have a request for a private vid chat marked both priority and on secure lines."

Shepard glanced down at her omnitool, only to note that it shouldn't have been her parents. "All right, I'll take it up in my quarters."

"Shepard," Aria said in way of greeting. "Tevos tells me that you're on your way to the Citadel."

Raising an eyebrow, but deciding not to say anything about her familiarity with the Asari Councilor (she had her own theories on that one). "That's right."

"Set to dock in two hours?"

"Sounds about right- I'd have to talk to my pilot to make sure."

"It's time."

"Not really- it's only 1400. We're set to dock at 1600."

Aria gave a look that clearly questioned Shepard's intelligence. "It's time to take back Omega. It's all been arranged- we're just waiting on you."

"You have a plan?"

"Just meet at Dock 42- a Batarian named Bray will meet you there."

"Time?"

"1830."

Shepard froze and shook her head. "Can't it be pushed back?"

"No. This is the prime time to infiltrate the defenses. You need to be aboard the ship at that time."

Taking a deep breath, Shepard nodded. "Consider it done. Shepard out."

After turning off the comm, she collapsed back into her chair and ran her fingers through her hair. If it wasn't for the resources that Aria had promised her when they took back Omega, she might have told her to go screw herself…save for the fact that she had promised Aria she would help her.

It was all for the war effort.

Inputting the data she needed, she waiting for her dad to answer her call.

"Hey there, Hope," he said as he came into frame.

"Hey, dad," she smiled. "I've got some bad news- I have a mission that just came up that'll mess with the dinner reservations."

He frowned but nodded, completely understanding. "That's a shame, but it's all a part of war."

She acknowledged that with a small nod of her head. "How long are you and mom planning on staying on the Citadel?"

"A couple of days- the crews need a break and the ships need some repairs. I was already supposed to book a room at a hotel." From his words, she knew that it had slipped his mind.

"How about you guys stay at my apartment- there's plenty of room and you won't have to waste credits on a hotel," she suggested. "That way, at least, we'll get to hang out before and after my mission without all the formality." She paused. "A few of the crew will be staying there, too- be nice."

Nodding, he simply said, "Send me the information and I'll forward it to your mother." He paused and narrowed his eyes at her. "Which crew members?"

Looking completely innocent, she said, "Garrus, Tali, and," she coughed as she said, "Kaidan."

"He's staying at your apartment?" he asked, sounding every bit of a disapproving father.

"Dad," she groaned, "be nice to him."

He didn't acknowledge her plea. "See you in a little bit, Hope."

"See you in a little while."

With a smile that was a bit too devious for Shepard's liking, he logged off.

"What're the chances that your parents will leave liking me?" Kaidan asked as they made their way to her apartment.

She smiled sweetly and leaned into his side as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "You'll be lucky if they finish all of their questions before leaving." She paused outside of her door. "Dad likes to play the hard ass, but he's a real softy."

Raising an eyebrow, he shook his head. "Probably only with his family," he pointed out. "We're not family."

She could practically hear his unspoken yet.

"Just don't let him near the knives and you should leave with everything intact," she joked.

"Haven't you ever introduced him to one of your boyfriend's before?"

Shaking her head, she simply shrugged. "Kaidan, I never really did boyfriends. I think the last one was Jer- and that wasn't extremely serious and it ended right after Elysium….or, rather, during Elysium."

Opening his mouth to ask another question, Hope entered the security code for her apartment only for the door to open to her parents sitting together in front of the fire talking quietly.

"Cheater," he murmured, for her ears only.

"Hey, mom, dad," she said, ignoring Kaidan's accusation.

Both of the admirals stood at the sound of their daughter's voice. And, for the first time, Kaidan looked at the parents of Commander Hope Ann Shepard.

She very clearly got her red hair from her mother- though her mother's hair was graying. Most of Hope's other features came from her father- save for her height.

"Hope," her father greeted her loudly, moving to step away from the couch only for him to stop abruptly as his eyes fell to Kaidan's arm wrapped around his daughter's waist.

Hannah Shepard rested a hand on her husband's arm as Kaidan quickly dropped his arm away from Hope. Hannah leaned into Nathanial to whisper something only for his ears.

"Dad, be nice," Shepard ordered. Taking Kaidan's hand in her own, she guided him forward to the elder Shepard's. "Mom, Dad, this is Kaidan. Kaidan, this is Hannah and Nathanial Shepard," she introduced, letting loose of his hand.

"Admirals," Kaidan saluted them, ignoring the narrowing eyes of Hope.

"Major," Nathanial managed to say between his teeth as he saluted him as well.

Hannah rolled her eyes and held out her hand for Kaidan to take. "It's so nice to finally meet you," she smiled. "It's a shame that we don't know too much about you- Hope has been rudely silent."

"Mom!" she groaned.

"But it's okay," Nathanial smirked, "we'll have plenty of time to make up for that."

Well, that explained Hope's personality. She mostly leaned toward that of her father, but she had bits of her mother mixed in as well.

Hope frowned up at her father and shook her head. "Be nice, dad," she repeated.

Nathanial rolled his eyes and engulfed her in a huge hug. "I've got to put the fear of god into him, Hope. How can I do that if I'm being nice?"

"I like him, dad, you aren't allowed to scare him away," she murmured.

"How much do you like this boy?"

"Enough that I'm letting you meet him," she whispered as she stepped away from him to hug her mom.

Kaidan remained stock still all throughout Hope's greeting of her parents. She smiled reassuringly at him. "Come on, everyone, sit!" she suggested. "I'm going to go cook something up real quick so we can all eat before I have to leave."

As she made her way to the kitchen, leaving Kaidan to awkwardly sit down on the couch with her parents, her father asked, "What's the mission?"

"Classified," she informed him as she dug through the refrigerator.

His left eye twitched as he turned his focus on Kaidan. "Does the major know what it is?"

"No, dad, Kaidan doesn't know what the mission is either. I can't reveal information of the mission until I get back- I can't risk compromising the operation."

"It's not like we're going to go to the press with the information," Hannah pointed out.

Hope shook her head. "I don't know if there are any listening devices on you or in the apartment- I can't risk it."

Hannah shook her head and looked fondly at Kaidan. "This is one of the reasons she is so good at being an N7- so secretive."

Kaidan, in turn, looked like a deer caught in the headlights. How was he supposed to respond to that?

"I think it's more of the fact that she's very stubborn," he ignored the snort that came from the kitchen, "as opposed to secretive. Of course, she does like to keep a lot of things to herself," he said slowly, weighing each word before saying them.

"Yes, we've discovered that," Nathanial snorted, looking pointedly at Kaidan.

Hope chuckled once more from the kitchen. "Steak: dad, well done; mom, medium well; Kaidan…" she paused long enough to try to figure out his preference, "well done?"

Kaidan turned so he could catch a glimpse of her mischievous eyes. "Is there anything you can't do extremely well?" he asked fondly.

"Well," she drew out, a smirk playing on her lips, "you already know that I can't…." she trailed off as she reached into her refrigerator to find something.

"Hope," her mother scolded, sounding completely flustered by what her daughter had implied, and hadn't specified.

Rolling her eyes, she came out of the fridge with a bottle of wine. "Dance. I can't dance. God, Mom, get your mind out of the gutter," she chuckled.