Notes: First off, apologies for my shift in schedule. I have started working full-time again, so I don't have as much writing time as I did before. I will continue writing, but it seems my posting schedule will shift to at least 3-weeks, if not longer... instead of every 2. I promise to keep the chapters coming, as I would never leave a story unfinished!

Amica mea - My love (Turian)

Matricibus - A babysitter, or nanny (Turian)

Siame - "one who is all", a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian/Source: CDN)

Future Generations

Jon Grissom Academy, Vetus, Petra Nebula – 18 Jul 2194

They only had to transit Widow in the Serpent Nebula and Utopia in Exodus, but their trip still took the majority of the day, as the combined relays had ten other destinations to cycle through before hitting Aletheia's departure connection points. Going home wouldn't be that much faster either, since the relays would have to cycle through eight other connections before they would connect to their destination windows.

Even so, their day passed quickly, with the Aletheia on autopilot and everyone relaxing in the lounge together. Technically, Lusmeni Thoni – being the pilot – was the only one on duty during the transit, but even she wasn't busy except for several minutes upon arrival at each of the relays. She simply logged their destination into the system and then moved the ship along in the jump queue. Once they made Vetus, the only system in Petra, Lus pointed the ship at Elysium and jumped to FTL.

Kahlee, Jack, and the three students were all waiting at the dock when Aletheia arrived. Jack's face held her normal smirk, Kaylee's held a broad smile, accompanied by a happy sparkle in her pale blue eyes, and each of the three students' eyes were wide with wonder. It was one thing to have the psychotic biotic as a teacher, but it was an entirely new experience to have Captain Shepard and Doctor T'Soni – the two primary heroes of the Reaper War – arriving for a visit. Each of the three students had their own stories from the war and how they ended up at the academy; the common theme among them was their parents had all been killed, and no one knew what to do with three orphaned youth, each with biotics beginning to manifest to varying degrees.

As they joined the waiting party on the docks, Kahlee's eyes glistened slightly with unshed tears as she pulled Shepard in for a warm embrace. "Gods, it's good to see you, Sam. Welcome back!" She then turned to Liara, drawing her into a loving hug as well. "And you, too, Liara. Welcome back to Grissom!"

Samantha took a step toward Jack who, in typical fashion, growled, "Don't even think about it, Shepard."

Sam chuckled softly as she extended her hand to clasp forearms with the tattooed woman. "I like all my body parts exactly where they are, Jack. No worries there!"

A smirk flirted on Jack's lips as she gave a light squeeze to Shepard's forearm with her reply, "Damned good to see you, Shepard. Been too long… and I've got some cool shit to show you."

Laughing, Samantha replied, "Kahlee warned me you had a few new toys and techniques you want to demonstrate. I'm afraid I don't have much new… except this little fella." With that, she turned and glanced back toward the ship, giving Sellis Boni a wave. "Of course you remember, Sel, but I'd like to introduce all of you to David Michael Shepard… whom we call Mike." Shepard grinned as she continued, "He's just turned three and, while normally being fairly quiet and well behaved, we'll apologize ahead of time for any tantrums he may throw over the duration of our stay. When he gets hungry or tired – or both – I guarantee the entire school will know about it."

Kahlee chuckled quietly, "Well, nothing like Shepard, then, is he? The only time we heard from Sam was when she was getting into some kind of trouble, breaking something… be it a bone in her own body or tipping something over… that shouldn't have been tipped." She shook her head with a smile, continuing, "Never a dull moment with her around, that's for sure!"

Sam blushed slightly and quietly cleared her throat. "Well, enough of that, now. Liara got most of those stories from my mother." Her gaze travelled to the students, staring at her in awe. "And who do we have here?"

It was obvious Kahlee or Jack had coached them prior to the arrival, as each took turns introducing themselves. The oldest boy stepped forward and saluted her as he stated, "Mathew Piers, Captain! I'm eighteen and hail from Watson, in the Skepsis system."

Shepard nodded. "Nice to meet you, Mathew. If I remember correctly, Watson is a garden world, thin atmosphere and just a little heavier grav than Earth?"

Mathew's eyes opened a little wider in surprise, but he otherwise kept his composure as he responded, "Yes, Ma'am! A relatively small colony, heavy in platinum and eezo mining jobs… the latter of which is responsible for my being here."

"Ah," Shepard semi-grunted. "Personal exposure? Or your mom, while she was pregnant with you?" As the boy hesitated to answer, Shepard added, "I got exposed both ways… so the in utero basically saved me when I had my later exposure. I got lucky… and, apparently, so did you."

"I guess… I survived, anyway." Mathew hung his head a little as he added, "Though I'm not a very strong biotic…"

Jack reached over and smacked him lightly on the back of his head. "Hey! What did I tell you about that? You can't judge your biotic strength against people like me and Shepard! You're still in the top ten percent of the students here!"

Though surprised by the unexpected swat, Shepard had to chuckle at Mathew's roll of the eyes as he answered, "Yes, Ma'am."

As Mathew fell silent, the next student piped up. "Allan Evetts, Captain. Fifteen, and just started this year." He fell silent for a moment; drawing a deep breath, he continued, "My biological father died in the war, and Mom met my biotics instructor, Jonesa Daana, three years later." He let out a soft sigh before straightening his shoulders to add, "Then, about 5 months ago, both of them died in an aircar accident on Nos Astra. When they died, my aunt became my only living relative, and she didn't want me… so she sent me here for training, rather than have me move to her home on Earth."

Both Shepard's and Liara's brows creased in a mix of anger and irritation. Shepard glanced at Kahlee, who gave an affirmative nod, accompanied by a sad shrug. Purposefully using Shepard's name instead of her title, Kahlee said, "It's true, Samantha. The woman told the Alliance recruiter that Allan looked too much like his father… her brother… and seeing Allan brought forth painful memories of his father's death." She raised a hand to keep Shepard from reacting. "I know. It's not what either of us would have done, but at least he has a good home here…" She smiled and reached over to ruffle the young boy's hair, making him blush as she added, "… with people who care about him and know how to teach him to control his biotics."

"I guess that's true enough," Shepard huffed. "And I'll assume it's her loss, since I know how much you care for your students. With his biotics, he could have ended up in a far less beneficial location, that's for sure." As she finished her sentence, her eyes drifted to the final student, a flaming redhead with freckles across her cheeks, somewhat reminding her of her younger self. "And you are?"

"Abigail Maddix, Ma'am!" She grinned, rather gregariously, as she continued, "Born and raised in the Alliance Navy, both parents alive, well, and still serving. Once I turned 18, though, I couldn't remain aboard, so needed to move on with my own life. I didn't really know what I wanted to do yet, and with the Alliance biotics program in such a mess, I certainly wasn't ready to enlist in the Navy. We couldn't afford a private tutor… and after my parents and I finished researching the dilemma, we found there really weren't a lot of options. Assuming Grissom had an opening… I was coming here. Obviously, an opening did exist, and I've been here ever since. I'm currently in my second year and will be turning 20 in a couple of months."

Liara smiled and finally addressed the students. "Well, it is very nice to meet all of you! I am very much looking forward to dinner and getting to know each of you better. We'll be here for a week, so we'll have plenty of time to chat." She glanced at Kahlee. "So, off to the dining room?"

"Either that, or I can show you to your rooms." Kay gave them a bright smile. "With it being summer break, we don't have any other visitors or guest professors, so all the suites are open. We have two adjacent ones prepared for you, with a common door that can be unlocked and opened so you can walk between them, for a total of four bedrooms that can sleep eight. Plus, we put an additional single in your suite, for Michael. I assume he's well out of his crib?"

"Oh, yes… and do you have interior latches on the exterior door… out of reach of tiny hands?"

"Oh goodness, yes." Kahlee let out a robust laugh. "He must be more like his mother than even I imagined if you're asking me that!"

Liara smiled and shook her head, responding, "You have no idea, Aunt Kay… but you might by the end of the week!"

Biotics Practice Dome, Jon Grissom Academy, Vetus – 21 Jul 2194

The two days of the weekend passed in a seeming blur, spent catching up on all the comings and goings of both House T'Soni and the population growth at the school. They spoke of all the new bondings and children who had come into the House, as well as the influx of new students to the academy following the war. Kahlee shook her head as she admitted, "The vast number of orphans who still have no one to turn to is mortifying, especially this many years following the war's conclusion. Even with the percentage of biotics being so low, there are still thousands without options, still living in group homes and orphanages. There are no local training schools… well, that's not exactly true… but there aren't enough for all the children who are manifesting."

"Any idea why there are so many?" Shepard asked, an honestly puzzled expression on her face.

"Our assumption is the massive quantities of refined eezo that was released during the war." Kay knew that explanation wasn't complete enough, so continued. "What eezo remained after the initial cleanup was low intensity, but the exposures were long term. The current theory is that the concentration of eezo that infiltrated the atmospheres of various worlds wasn't so high as to cause cancerous mutations… but at the same time, was still high enough to cause development of the connective channeling, similar to your low exposures when you were growing up, Sam."

Shepard immediately caught on and finished the explanation for her. "So, because of the channeling, their gradual exposure eventually added up… and led to an incredibly high successful conversion rate." She paused, then asked, "How many? I mean, even if we bump only a fraction of a percentage on every world, you're still talking about tens of thousands! Is that even possible?"

"So, you see our dilemma," sighed Kahlee. "We've lost many simply for the lack of training, others to the unavailability of biotic amps, with them simply burning out their own cerebral cortex by using unregulated power. Too many are being recruited by predatory mercenary groups and the like, simply by being offered food and a bed. When you have no one else and you're starving on the street, it's almost an offer that can't be refused. It's… horrifying is the only word I can come up with to describe what's happening to these young biotics."

Liara's lips were set in a grim line as she replied, "I had no idea this was going on. I'm going to call Councilor Tevos and look into this more thoroughly when we get home. We need to know if it is affecting only Humans, or if the same thing is happening across the races."

"We can call Desis," Shepard added quickly. "If anyone knows what's going on with the Turian orphans, it would be her."

"That's an excellent idea, Siame." Liara's lips relaxed slightly, turning into a pained smile. "At least it gives us a starting point."

"About the only good I can see in the whole situation is that it will be a single generational problem." Kahlee released a heavy sigh. "For Humans, biotic ability is not genetic, so the trait won't be passed on, and the eezo concentrations are already dropping back down to pre-war norms, so it should not be a continuing issue."

"But that does raise the question about other races," responded Liara. "I have to wonder how it is affecting the Krogan. I imagine the Salarians must be beside themselves if more Krogan are developing biotics." She looked at Shepard. "While I'm speaking with Desis, I think you should be chatting with Wrex and Bakara, to see if they have noticed any increase in biotic-born pups."

"Sounds good to me." Shepard suddenly grinned, "And personally? I don't give a Pyjak's ass if the Dalatrasses are concerned about Krogan development. If they ever meddle with Krogan genetics again, I will personally lead a crusade to… remove… whoever leads such a program."

"Samantha!" Kahlee actually laughed and shook her head. "If I didn't know you better, such a statement would frighten me, because I know you have the capacity to do such a thing."

Kahlee's brow raised in surprise as Liara added with a teasing grin, "Oh, make no mistake, Kay. They will be removed. Maybe just not in the way Shepard's words and tone suggest."

Their discourse was interrupted by a coarse voice from the door. "Hey! The students are ready to put on their demonstration." Jack then laughed, adding, "And then we'll show them what we put together over the weekend! This is gonna be so fucking awesome!"

They moved from the office area into the arena, where the three students were grinning ear-to-ear. Shepard smiled at them and gave them a thumbs up. "We're ready when you are. Let's see what you've got!"

Jack gave them a nod, adding, "You heard her… and it's Captain Shepard, so give her your best!"

As they began, the ever-present Riana watched in appreciation of their skills. "They are good, for young students who have recently developed their biotics." She grinned, "I am glad Jack is so focused on them and not us, so I can speak freely regarding her obvious love for those three. She watches over them like a… well, mother would be inappropriate so, perhaps, an endearing aunt?"

Even though she had spoken quietly, Jack growled, "I have excellent hearing, Iregos! You'll pay for that later!"

They all laughed, Liara rolling her eyes as Samantha responded, "You know it's true, Jack, so just deal with it!"

Jack's attention refocused on the students when a particularly well done warp echoed through the facility. She shouted, "Damn! Now that's what I'm talking about! I wanna see another one of those, Abby!"

The young woman grinned, glancing at her instructor for just a second as she shouted, "Yes, Ma'am!" before focusing on her next task in the demonstration.

Overall, they were very impressed with the students' abilities. Once they were done, Liara gave the tired threesome a smile. "That was very well done and demonstrated not only personal excellence, but teamwork as well! If no Human settlements have honest jobs for you, a performance like that would get you hired just about anywhere on Thessia. You could easily become a member of a Strike Force or Republican Guard unit with the skills you just demonstrated. And, before you ask, yes, there are other Human members in those organizations. Human-Asari couples are not uncommon on Thessia, and the Human half of the pairing needs to be able to work somewhere. If your skills lie in combative biotics, then Strike Forces or Republican Guard units would be happy to accept you."

"What's the difference between that and simply joining the Alliance?" asked Mathew.

Liara smiled kindly as she replied, "Well, the Asari units are more like a large police force, so you would be working for the small city-state in which you live. Unless there is another major conflict, you would get to remain on whichever planet you choose as your new home, develop lifelong relationships with friends, and sleep in your own bed every night." She paused briefly before adding, "Then again, if you want to travel the galaxy, see new worlds, and meet new people every time you change assignments, the Alliance would likely be a better choice. It simply depends on what you want to do. The important thing to remember is you have the choice… and, you can always change your mind and do something different, once your initial term expires, no matter what organization you choose."

"Alright, enough chat," grumped Jack. "It's time to show them what biotics can really do, if they put their mind to it!"

Shepard chuckled as she asked, "You have all your little gems stashed in your ammo pouches?"

The wide grin on the tattooed woman's face gave Samantha her answer before the affirmative words ever crossed her lips. "Damned straight, I do!"

Even Liara grinned as they took their places in the practice dome, knowing what was coming. "Ready when you are, Jack."

"I'm always ready, T'Soni!"

They began with what they considered their 'routine' warm-up drills, the force of the biotic explosions still surprising the students. Even Kahlee cocked an eyebrow a time or two, glancing at the dome support structures, hoping they were truly up to the standard Armax had promised. Liara had contracted the construction, telling the Armax construction lead that even though it was mostly students using the facility, biotic instructors would also be practicing there... very likely including her and Shepard, on occasion. The Armax installation team had immediately called back to Earth for 'a few additional supports,' as they put it, so the instructors didn't need to worry about bringing down the roof during demonstrations of the raw biotic power people like Shepard and T'Soni were able to bring to the practice floor.

Jack's new toys, in particular, were a sight to be seen. During their short practice session the day before, Liara and Shepard were actually surprised at just how powerful the small objects could be when properly utilized by a team of talented biotics. They were relatively small, innocuous, metal balls, each filled with a particularly potent explosive. One alone wasn't too much to worry about unless it landed right at your feet, but launched carefully as a controlled group, they could do rather significant damage.

They started by using only single balls, landing them on target drones with great precision, first to drop shields, then destroy the devices, all while dodging the drone attack fire. The attack started with a single drone, quickly progressing to groups of ten, then fifteen, then twenty. The students were amazed as they watched the three of them – Jack, Liara, and Samantha – make twenty drones seem like child's play, blasting the attack drones into oblivion, almost before any of the drones even got off a single shot.

Their targets then progressed from drones to mechs, with the resulting increase in 'hostile fire' generated by the Armax software, which the trio handled just as easily as the drones. What caught the students by surprise was when the mech count doubled, then tripled, just as the drones had. The students watched in almost morbid fascination as the demonstration team obliterated wave after wave, seemingly without effort and showing no signs of slowing down.

The grand finale finally arrived with a trio of Atlases crashing to the floor, double guns blazing. Shepard and Liara dodged behind barricades while Jack sprinted out into the open to launch three sets of her little 'magic balls,' as she called them. As each Atlas turned to focus on the single target available to them, Liara and Shepard stepped out of hiding on the far side of the arena. Each of them biotically grabbed one of the groupings of balls Jack had dispersed, working together to elevate them into a double-helix that looked like a suspended strand of DNA. When their coordinated efforts spun that helix around one of the Atlas mechs, Jack – rather gleefully – launched a detonating warp.

The resultant explosion, which was more of an 'implosion,' simply crushed the Atlas into an unrecognizable heap of metal scrap. The students – along with Kahlee – simply stared in horrified fascination at the destructive power wrought upon the mech in mere seconds.

Allan muttered, "What the fuck!" immediately prompting a response from Jack, of all people.

"Hey! I'm the only one that gets to cuss! You owe me ten laps!"

Shepard chuckled, "Really, Jack?" As the biotic spun to challenge her statement, Shepard laughed harder, adding, "I think, if that's the case, everyone here can join him." As she finished her sentence, she glanced at Liara, who shrugged and stepped to her side.

"Sounds good to me," the Asari said with a grin, taking off at a slow trot, a suddenly eager Allan joining the duo on the first of ten laps.

Matthew and Abigail looked at one another and shrugged, Abby commenting, "Why not? Who else in school will be able to say they ran ten laps with the power duo of Captain Shepard and Doctor T'Soni? For fun, at that?"

Kay stood for a moment, hands on her hips as she muttered, "Seriously? I can't possibly be the only one who doesn't participate, now… can I." With a roll of her eyes, she cut the corner so she could join the group in their run. "Come on, Jack. You started this mess, you're coming, too."

"Is that an order?" Jack drawled.

Kahlee stopped for a second to turn and give her a look that said 'no, but if you don't join us, you'll hear about this later.' Jack rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Oh, for fuck's sake!" before shaking her head and starting to jog on an intercept path. "Fine! I'm coming…"

Cipritine, Palaven, Trebia – 04 Jan 2195

Desis Vakarian sat up in her bed, slowly swung her lower legs out from under the covers and leaned forward, until her head was hanging over her knees. What in spirits' name is happening? she silently asked herself.

Desis was the type of person that rarely, if ever, got sick; the sudden onset of cramping she was experiencing in the middle of her abdomen was actually making her nauseous! She mentally went over all the food and drink she'd consumed during the previous twenty-eight-to-forty-two hours, but nothing really stood out. Using both hands, she alternately massaged and pushed on her tummy in search of some relief from the discomfort; a sharp stab of pain from a particularly strong spasm brought her nausea to a flash point. Hurriedly rising from the bed, she nearly ran in her haste to enter the bathroom. Barely making it in time as she quickly raised the lid and seat, she gasped for air and coughed several times, between stints of her stomach seemingly attempting to turn itself inside out as it forcefully ejected every last gram of its contents.

Not trusting that her stomach was finished making her miserable, she leaned over and hung onto the edge of the toilet bowl with both hands. After experiencing several bouts of the 'dry heaves' – each one diminishing in strength – she concluded she was finally done. Standing erect once more, Desis opened the purge valve to rinse the bowl, then moved to stand in front of the sink; after taking a couple of swallows of cool water, she had just started dampening a washcloth with warm water, when a hand gently landing on a shoulder caused her to nearly jump out of her skin. Spinning around to face the owner of that hand, she sputtered, "Spirits, Garrus! You nearly scared me to death!"

Sounding honestly contrite, he responded, "My apologies, Dee!" Carefully grasping both her upper arms, he added in a near whisper, "I just came in to check on you. Are you okay?"

She mumbled a response through the cloth, which was now being held against her nose-plates. "Woke up sick to my stomach, Garrus… even considering the bit of partying we indulged in this past weekend, I cannot for the life of me imagine why. Didn't eat or drink anything out of the ordinary in the past few days." She pulled the cloth away from her face after wiping her eye ridges and draped it over the nearby rack, then began moving back to their bedroom. "Come on – let's go back to bed, maybe salvage what remains of our slumber time."

As Garrus slowly followed, a memory – about an eerily similar situation just over three years ago – came to him. Crawling back in with his mate, he wrapped her in his arms and hugged her tight; nibbling gently on a mandible, he used whispered sub-harmonics to give voice to his memory. "Spirits, Dee. As infrequently as you get sick to your stomach, a thought occurred to me; is it possible that you just might be pregnant?"

She drew back from him slightly, a note of disbelief in her own sub-harmonics. "Can't be… oh, Garrus… you really think so?" Continuing on before he could reply, she breathed, "Oh, my! Ace will turn 4 in six months or so. I don't know if I'm ready for another infant."

Garrus chuckled softly with his reply. "Of course you are, Dee – we're both ready." He shifted his arms and legs slightly for better comfort as she pulled away a bit. "We can discuss it some more over breakfast… and I think it would be best for you to pay a visit to your doctor… you know, just to gain some clarity on my speculation."

"Sounds like a good plan, amica mea." She rolled over so Garrus could spoon her – relaxing into the warm body hugging her from behind, it was only a matter of minutes before they both were once again sound asleep.

Compitales Medical Center – 15 Jan 2195

Doctor and Reproductive Specialist Viteldia Quendros dropped and spread her mandibles as she spoke in a happy tone of voice to a nervous Desis Vakarian. "It appears that all your vitals – heart rate, pressure, blood chemistry – are all quite normal, Dee. Oh, and you and Garrus have successfully created another child. Congratulations!"

Hearing that Garrus' speculation was confirmed caused her heart to clench in happiness. He always bragged about his reach, came the naughty thought. "Is there any way for you to determine when I'll deliver this babe? Oh, and its gender… is it too soon to determine that?"

Quendros happy tone continued with her response. "First off, you can get dressed, Desis. As to a delivery date, it's a bit of a guess at this early stage of your gravidity, but going by past experience, I expect you'll be giving birth middle of November." She paused for a moment to study a datapad before adding, "As to your baby's gender, I'm happy to tell you that you and your mate have successfully created a little brother for Acicidia."

Desis nearly couldn't believe the doctor's words. "A baby boy? Really?"

The doctor raised one eyebrow as she queried, "Was Garrus not hoping for a boy?"

"Truthfully, I don't know. I expect he'll be delighted, regardless! As long as our baby arrives healthy, the gender is of no concern. He definitely wants us to have more children… it's just that he's never expressed any preference for a male over a female… at least, not to me."

Desis finished getting dressed, prompting Doctor Quendros to say, "Before you leave, my assistant will set up an appointment schedule for you to come in for regular checkups over the next few months. As you know, it's important that your health, and that of your developing child, be regularly monitored; in that way, any changes from your previous visit can be caught early and dealt with appropriately." Taking her hand, she concluded, "Congratulations, Desis, to both you and Garrus. I look forward to your next visit."

Vakarian Residence, Cipritine, Palaven – 15 Jan 2195

Cicedia Eudorius – the Vakarian's matricibus – opened the door as Desis all but skipped up the walkway from the street; she handed Ace off to her mother as Dee walked through her front door. "May I infer from your happy demeanor that the doctor gave you some good news?"

Desis hugged her toddler, placing a soft little kiss on her forehead as she turned to reply. "I'm pregnant, Cicedia! Garrus had it right… I'm about one month along, which kind of explains my nausea and throwing up last week."

"That's marvelous news, Desis! I'm so happy for you." She paused, then added, "So, you'll be giving birth sometime in November?"

"So I'm told." Placing another kiss on her forehead, she looked intently at her daughter and said softly, "You're going to have a baby brother, Ace."

The toddler's face displayed confused concern. "Fow me?"

Desis chuckled good naturedly. "For all of us, Ace."

Desis met Garrus at the door when he returned from work; throwing her arms around her mate almost before he could get clear of the doorway, she nibbled playfully on a mandible, as was her usual way of greeting him, then released him in order to lead him to his favorite chair. Handing a snifter of fine brandy to him, she whispered, "You are aware that I visited the doctor today, are you not?" She carefully settled in his lap and wrapped her arms around him as she laid her head on his shoulder.

Garrus took a couple of sips of brandy, enjoying the burn as the alcohol slid down his throat. "I am," came the reply. Thinking back to the reason for the interruption of their slumbers eleven days ago, his expression of puzzlement became one of slowly dawning realization. "You're carrying another child? You're pregnant!"

Desis grinned. "I am... and Viteldia offered congratulations to both of us, amica mea! According to her, I'm due in early November."

"That's wonderful news, Dee!" He downed the remainder of his brandy in one go, gasping slightly as the potent liquor burned its way down through his crop. After coughing a bit to regain his power of speech, he huffed out, "Did she tell you if you're carrying a…"

"… boy or a girl?" she finished for him. "I'm carrying a little male Vakarian, my dearest. Perfect complement for Ace, don't you think?" She punctuated her statement with a tongue-nibbling kiss. When she broke for a breath, he grabbed her around her waist and under her thighs, then caused her to gasp in astonishment as he surged up and out of his chair.

After thoroughly kissing her again, he set her gently down on her feet so he could fully embrace her. "You know gender matters not in the slightest, Dee. Having a healthy babe of either sex is our main objective." He squeezed her again and released her. "I know you're not supposed to have any alcohol, but I seriously doubt half-a-milliliter would pose any risk to our child."

"Spirits, Garrus! That's barely a taste!" With a chuckle, she concluded her thought by stating, "I could get more than that by simply licking the inside of the glass you just emptied."

Garrus laughed heartily at the expression on her face. Shaking his head, he asked, "Has Cicedia left for the evening?"

"Not yet. Why? What's on your mind?"

"If she will stay with Ace for a couple more hours, I'd like to take you out for dinner… maybe to that little restaurant you like so well."

"No need. We'll just take Ace along with us. It'll actually cost us less than paying Cicedia to stay while we're gone."

Garrus chuckled again. "Go get ready – if Ace's clothes need changing, I'll take care of it."