A/N: Shep & Liara's child is named Qui'rin. Pronounce as Kwie - rrin, make sure to roll the r. Don't say it fast, there are 2 sections. Kwie - rrin.

Theodur and Ms Aurora, many thanks for all the help!

Chapter 29, Qui'rin

*Eight months later

Karli tried to keep an eye on the action, but that proved difficult with two dragoons rapidly closing on her and an Atlas immediately on the other side of her crumbling cover. "Wrex, Grunt, I could use some help here!"

Bulldozing one of the dragoons, Grunt jumped in her line of sight. "Keep up Shepard, this was your idea!"

Grumbling something about the krogan, Shepard disappeared in a burst of blue light, flying towards the other dragoon. She expected him to be knocked out of the fight, but he simply shook it off and retaliated, completely destroying her shields.

No shields, no problem! Relishing in the surge of her biotics, Karli felt the power building inside of her; then releasing it in a loud sonic boom she vanished in a swirl of blue fireworks only to violently smash the man off his feet. Yes!

Adrenalin surged through her system like a wildfire and she screamed in delight to be in control of her biotics again. To wildly charge any foe, no matter their size or reputation was an incredible rush that only other Vanguards could understand.

When she'd first mentioned to her mother the desire to become a Vanguard, Hannah had not been thrilled. Vanguards were known for being high risk operatives and a large percentage did not live to enjoy their twilight years. Additionally, Hannah knew Karli's keen tactical mind would be wasted if she became a simple frontline soldier.

Her daughter had proven her wrong.

Her biotic skills had been considerable before and with the proper training she became one of the strongest in the field. For a Vanguard, she'd shown a remarkable quality; Shepard observed the entire battlefield, kept a close eye on enemy movements and was somehow always in the right place to aid her squad. When confronted with tactical or strategic puzzles in the classroom, she usually finished first, often providing excellent insights. Her instructors took notice and within a few weeks Shepard had been asked to travel to Rio for the N program.

She finally spotted Wrex. He'd drifted too far from them, but was having a great time choking an engineer to death; grinning in satisfaction while his large hands squeezed the last drop of life out of the man. Karli gasped when she noticed two sleek figures with blades sliding up behind her friend.

Phantoms! Wrex's too slow to handle both of them!

Trying to warn her friend, the comms proved to be useless amidst the noise of the battle and Grunt had his hands full with the Atlas bearing down on him. Initiating her biotics, she intended to charge, but at that crucial moment the dragoon stepped forward again, blocking her line of sight. Why don't you stay down!

The phantom made no sound as she snuck up on the krogan from behind. Raising her blade, she motioned her companion to circle around. Like lightning she twirled and struck with all her might, viciously driving her blade into Wrex's neck. Blood immediately poured from the huge wound and she expected her foe to go down.

"Wraaghh!" Moving incredibly fast, Wrex turned and a large fist punched her violently in the mouth. "In my back - cowards!" He tried to reach around and pull the blade from his neck, but couldn't reach it.

"Whatever it takes, monster!" The second phantom had slithered around and quickly stabbed Wrex twice where she knew his hearts to be.

The huge krogan wanted to use his gun, but noticed his arms wouldn't raise. Blood soaked out of his multiple wounds; breathing was difficult as he staggered towards the enemy.

The first phantom reclaimed her sword. When she ripped it free from the krogan's neck, a fountain of blood sprayed in a wide arch and Wrex moaned. She didn't let up, rapidly stabbing him several times in the back, and with one last powerful push buried the blade so deep, it punched straight through the helpless krogan.

Wrex sunk to his knees, his blood-soaked body unable to support his weight any longer. With a sad noise he fell face forward on the floor.

In a loud, blue explosion, one of the phantoms got knocked out; Shepard screamed while she emptied her entire Piranha into the second one. "Wrex!"

The krogan was down. Karli laughed and shook her head before hurrying back to Grunt, wildly smashing herself into the Atlas's canopy to break the window. "We lost Wrex," she clued in Grunt, who took the news with a big smile.

"Good! We didn't need that fossil anyways!"

He ducked under a huge mechanical arm and punched through the broken glass to grab the pilot. Throwing the man on the ground, he happily jumped up and down on his victim. "Weak!"

The pair looked around confidently. No further enemies appeared and Karli playfully head-butted the huge krogan.

"Team Shepard wins."

The lights came on and the Arena erupted in cheers. Hannah Shepard jumped up and made eye contact with her daughter who winked in response. Wrex grumbled angrily while he got to his feet.

(Camera pans left, showing the newly finished arena. Zoom in on reporter)

"Since the completion of the first arenas on Tuchanka, a few brooding hostilities between krogan clans have been resolved in a non-lethal matter. Shaman Bakara and Urdnot Wrex have stated several times that this is the "new way" the krogan will settle their disputes. They have also started several competitive leagues around the planet, encouraging and challenging all males to vent their bloodlust within the arena."

(Images of Jeremy in the Armax Arena)

"Jeremy Vettock, a Council Spectre, has been instrumental in construction of the arenas. He gained the respect of most krogan when he took down the renegade clan chief Grom Kuwek in brutal close combat. In cooperation with Interspecies Ambassador Shepard and Urdnot Wrex, he's been working hard to make the arenas a reality."

(Images of new settlements, followed by a few krogan taking down an odd looking large creature)

"This footage is from the planet Virmire in the Sentry Omega cluster. The Council has granted this section of space for krogan expansion, killing two birds with one stone. The grateful krogan are co-operating with the Council and their presence has scared off various criminal elements, driving those deeper into the Terminus systems."

(Images of the Normandy landing on a lush flower field)

"Spectre Vettock and Council operatives have identified three garden worlds in the Sentry Omega and Kepler Verge clusters, two of which are currently being colonized by the krogan. The Galactic Council has placed a considerable fleet in the area to ensure the safety of the new colonies."

(Images of Shepard in the Armax arena)

"Yesterday, Ambassador Shepard opened the Wildur arena by playing the very first match. Fighting alongside Urdnot Wrex and Urdnot Grunt, she obviously wanted to show all of Tuchanka her continued support of Clan Urdnot and her ongoing interest with the krogan's well-being."

(Camera on the reporter)

"With the Genophage cured, the krogan gave their all in the Reaper war, even saving large parts of the turian homeworld Palaven. Looking back at those events and the current situation, we can only conclude it's a brand new dawn for the krogan race. Reporting from Tuchanka, I am Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani for the Council news network."

The next day found the couple standing in the CIC, staring at the Galaxy map while the Normandy left Tuchanka. Garrus and Tali had retreated to the Captain's cabin and Jeremy remained on the krogan homeworld by Shepard's request. Samantha Traynor stood by her terminal and worked hard to open a channel with Thessia, once in a while shooting a curious glance at the couple. Both Karli and Liara were wearing classic asari dresses; Liara had chosen a longsleeved green and white one while Karli had selected a short sleeved lavender one.

"Commander, I have established a link with Thessia space control. They will be expecting our arrival."

"That's good, Traynor. Please prepare a message to Matriarch Aethyta that we will be home soon."

"Will do, Commander." Sam's eyes rested on Karli's dress a second too long and Shepard noticed.

"What is it, Samantha? And I told you before, I am not your Commander anymore, call me Karli."

Traynor grinned and took a few seconds. She had become so used to Karli as 'the commander' that the habit proved hard to break. "First of all, that soft purple suits you very well. And second," Sam's eyes landed on Liara's baby bulge which was not that large, but still impossible to miss. "How much time till...?"

Liara smiled. "It should be two more weeks. Which is why I'm happy to be going home at this point."

"I understand. Tuchanka is not a planet known for its doctors or medical care," Sam quipped. "Say, Liara, since you'll be leaving the Normandy soon, how about I tell you the story how I once saved our ship with my toothbrush? Or perhaps we can share a laugh when I crush Karli again in a game of chess?"

"Let's do both," Liara smirked. "She's such a sore loser, this will be fun."

"Laugh it up, Traynor, I'll beat you one day," Karli boasted, but that made the others laugh even louder.

"Perhaps when pigs fly!" Samantha grinned.

The three made their way to the starboard lounge where they set up the game. Sam had a great time telling her story while casually wiping the floor with Shepard; Karli looking at the pieces in disbelief as she tried in vain to avoid checkmate.

"That was quick," Liara giggled as she got up to get some drinks. "Must be a new record!"

"Well, just because - " Shepard paused in mid-sentence when she noticed Liara's pained expression. "Blue, what is it?"

The asari held her belly as she bent over slightly. Her voice came rushed in-between the heavy breathing. "Karli, the baby... I think it is beginning!"

"What? But it's too early! Samantha, alert Doctor Chakwas!" Karli rushed to support her bondmate and immediately noticed Liara was trembling. The asari motioned with her hand and Shepard eased her to the floor, where she sat beside Liara and gently rubbed her back. Her voice heavy with concern, she urged, "how can I help?"

Looking a little pale, Liara gritted her teeth. "I'm not sure there's anything you can do, love. I definitely don't want to give birth aboard the Normandy... perhaps you can try to shorten our travel."

"Oh, absolutely. Dimin!"

The pilot responded quickly when she heard Karli's urgency. "Yes, Mandein?"

"Get us to Thessia as soon as possible. I repeat - as soon as possible!"

"Got it. We'll be at the relay shortly." The Normandy shot forward as Dimin pushed it towards the maximum approach velocity.

A few seconds later Karin Chakwas burst into the starboard lounge. Kneeling down, she immediately checked Liara's breathing and heart rate. "How are you feeling dear?"

"I think I'm good, doctor, could you please check on my daughter?"

"Of course, hold your breath for a second." The doctor pressed her fingers carefully on Liara's lower belly trying to determine the position of the baby. Nodding thoughtfully she activated her omni-tool and checked the child's heart rate.

Smiling lightly, she looked at the couple. "She has decided it's time. Just couldn't wait any longer - like a true Vanguard."

"But her health?" Liara insisted.

"Everything appears to be in order. Can you walk? I can do a complete scan in the medbay."

With Shepard and Samantha's help, Liara got on to her feet and they slowly proceeded to the medbay. Fifteen minutes later, Karin knew all she needed. "Truly Liara, she's fine. But I hope we can reach Thessia soon, or you'll have a spacer kid."

Shepard nearly laughed when she saw Liara's frown of disbelief. "Don't worry Blue, we'll be there soon." Turning to Samantha she continued, "Check with Dimin for our ETA. Then send another message to Matriarch Aethyta, ask her to prepare everything for the birth of her grandchild."

Eva, Lithu, Dimin and Samantha were seated around the small kitchen table, playing a complicated game with strange looking dice and glowing plastic chips. Normally this would have been a rowdy affair, but the Maidens kept their voices down to a whisper.

On a large green blanket in the middle of the living room, Dara and Leanor were stacking multi-colored blocks together, once in a while shooting questioning glances at the uncharacteristically quiet Aethyta.

Hannah Shepard and Matriarch Aethyta sat on the couch staring at each other. The two had worked together at the orphanage for nearly a year but this situation was... different. Aethyta frowned and Hannah quickly grabbed her drink. "Can you believe...?" Hannah hesitantly started.

"For an asari, she's very young to have a child," Aethyta growled. Hannah froze.

Aethyta sat back and immediately felt guilty about her outburst. I'm not myself, either. A thousand years old and I still can get my panties in a bunch. Great. Liara is young but she's got a good head on her shoulders and Karli's obviously a great match for my kid.

She offered Hannah an opening. "But with a gal like Shepard by her side, I'm sure it will all work out."

"That's very kind of you," Hannah relaxed. "Karli will..."

A sharp piercing cry came from upstairs. Aethyta immediately recognized Liara's voice and rose to bolt up the stairs. Hannah reached out and grabbed the Matriarch's elbow. "They've got two doctors up there, nothing we can do but get in the way."

Exhaling, Aethyta sat back down. "You're right, but I..." Her voice drifted off as she forced herself back on the couch. Need a distraction! Perhaps I can join the Maidens for a game?

Staring once again at Hannah, Aethyta decided to remain with the elder Shepard. Family. Our kids are having a child together!

They waited in silence once more.

Half an hour later, Doctor Chakwas opened the upstairs door and asked, "Hannah, Matriarch Aethyta, could you come up please?"

The two women rushed up the stairs and followed Karin into the warm bedroom where they found the couple sitting on the bed together. Liara handed a small bundle to Karli, who took her sweet time leaning forward to tenderly kiss the asari on her crest. The couple glowed in love; Liara's expression was tired but content while Shepard beamed with a grateful aura. The late afternoon sun bathed the entire scene in a rich golden light.

When Karli finally rose, the two older women stepped forward to receive a first glimpse of their granddaughter. "This is Qui'rin," Shepard happily announced. "Or Phoenix, in English."

"Qui'rin..." Hannah tried the alien sound. "Congratulations to both of you!" She leaned in and carefully took the baby, but after a few seconds she looked at Karli again. "She's got your eyes!"

Grinning, Shepard simply nodded and tenderly laid an arm around her mother. "And her grandfather's eyes," she whispered.

Hannah gasped and swallowed hard. She simply stood there, staring into the big brown eyes. Qui'rin peacefully blinked back at her.

"She's so calm," Hannah noted.

Liara moved back and straightened her sheets as she fondly beheld Shepard senior holding her daughter. "Newborns get quite a shock when they're suddenly removed from the womb. Asari have a trick for this; even now I'm in a shallow meld with her, reassuring her that I am very close."

Aethyta congratulated Karli, then sat on the bed next to her daughter. "You did good, kiddo, she's a beauty!"

"Kallan sa, Munde, may she grow to be as strong and wise as you," Liara folded her hands in a thankful gesture and proceeded to touch Aethyta's shoulders. "I'm delighted you're here today and I hope for your continued presence in my daughter's life."

"You sure?" Aethyta joked. "I might corrupt her!"

Liara smiled. "I'm sure you'll be on your best behavior."

Hannah handed Qui'rin to Aethyta who smiled deeply as she held her grandchild for the first time.

A stumbling noise came from the stairs and they all turned as one, finding Dara and Leanor at the doorway peeking in. Eva stood right behind them, still holding Dara's hand.

"Baby?" squeaked Dara.

"Eva said baby!" Leanor exclaimed happily as she ventured into the room, beaming up at them with wide eyes.

"Come here, dindels!" Karli laughed.

The twins wasted no time and came to stand right next to the bed, curiously eyeing the small blue bundle in Aethyta's arms. "We have to be a little quiet, Qui'rin is not used to loud noises, " Liara whispered as she fondly took in the intrigued looks on their faces. Eva snuck into the room and observed from the corner.

Dara leaned forward, her outstretched hand carefully patting the tiny crest. "Kwi - lin?" she tried.

Leanor corrected her sister. "Qui'lin!"

They took turns, softly touching the baby's hands and crest while Liara made sure they were being gentle. Shepard smiled broadly at the sight of her daughter and the twins together; she quickly took a few pictures and then touched Liara's shoulder, sending her the unspoken question.

Qui'rin chose that exact moment to let out a cry. She stared at Leanor intently before yawning and stretching slowly. Her little hand found Dara's pinky and she curled her fingers around it. She gurgled while yanking on the finger.

"Hey, leggo!" Dara exclaimed, but her huge smile betrayed her delight. "Kwi'lin cute!"

Later that night, after all the hustle and bustle of the day had passed, the couple laid in bed with a sweetly sleeping blue baby in-between them. Karli trailed her fingers over the ridges of the tiny crest while she intently studied Qui'rin's features. "She looks a hundred percent like you," she whispered to Liara. "Except for the brown eyes."

Liara was completely exhausted but refused to take her eyes off her bondmate and daughter. Her blue diamonds sparkled in the night as she lovingly touched long strands of Karli's brown hair. "It's unreal," she spoke softly. "Everything I dreamed of has come true. Do you remember that day in London, just before the final battle? I thought I'd never see you again. I remember my wish that day - to live with you in peace."

"You have me," Shepard whispered, her voice breaking while a few large tears rolled down her cheeks. "And we have peace. And as unbelievable as it seems, we have her." Two sets of eyes landed on the tiny baby who twitched when Liara pulled her close.

"You did great." Shepard kissed Liara's closed eyes, "I couldn't be happier than I am right now." Sensing her bondmate's tiredness, Karli nudged the asari's shoulder down. "Sleep. I will guard over both of you."

THE END

Dictionary

Mirla anan - welcome/hello

Dindel - affectionate name for a child, 'sweet muffin'

Mandein - honored warrior, 'the right hand of Thessia'

Arlas - main asari language

Munde tir'ae - my giver

Kunde tir'ae - my taker

Munde - giver (father)

Kunde - taker (mother)

Irrulun - rare spiritual connection between bondmates

Qui'rin - Thessian mythical creature of hope

Pirtan lei - diamonds (tears) of Joy

Semmae - sister

Kallan sa - I thank you

Autor's notes.

Hoi there!

If you are reading this, chances are that you read my entire story and I thank you! Coming to the end of the road, this has been a huge emotional rollercoaster for me. I never knew I could write and at times still have my doubts :) If you are interested in my thoughts and motivations, and some background on the story, you might enjoy this.

I have never played a game where the characters stood so close to me. I laughed, cried, got mad and emotional as the wonderful story played out. Mass Effect isn't a good videogame, it's a great videogame and the dedicated writers and readers on this site are definite proof of that. Finishing the game is like saying goodbye to dear friends.

After 3 entire playthroughs I started writing a tiny bit, trying to craft my own ending to the story. Then I met Bebus, and he encouraged me to publish. I was not going to do a re-telling of the games. It's been done many times, and there are excellent ones out there.

Most of all I wanted to give these wonderful characters a nice closure to the story. Looking back now, one could argue I wrote this thing on the idea of Marriage, old age, and a lot of little blue children.

*About the story title. Shepard's first name was (for obvious reasons) not used in the videogame. Therefore I wanted to make a point of using it a lot, making things more personal.

*Jeremy. There are a lot of female characters in this story already, so I wanted a male character to be the center of action for a few chapters. I considered Kaidan, Vega, and Garrus. Kaidan, I just don't like him, for many reasons. (and he couldn't be commander without a head, right?) Vega, he's too inexperienced to be a leader, and was set to go to N7 training. Garrus is a fun character to write, but in the end I wanted an infiltrator with crazy HTH skills. I didn't expect to create an original character, but somehow he came real easy to me.

*The two chapters about Kaidan's death. At first it was very odd to write somehing without Shep and Liara. Then again, the little side step served a good purpose: To put some serious action in my story. Once I got started with that violence, it just kept getting wilder and wilder. I said to myself "story for adults, just go all out". (Mister 'twist the knife' Bebus made it even worse!) - It was great fun writing that!

*Sexy times. For a while I was wondering how explicit I wanted to go with this story. Two reasons convinced me to take it quite far. First, a large part of my story focuses on fun and happy times for Shep and Liara, and sex is definitely good times. And just as with the violence, this is a story for adults, so no need to tiptoe around the issue.

*Chapter titles. What started out as a major headache, gradually became a fun process. For example, 14 (Fallen from a distant star) is a line out of a lovely Shep/Liara song, while 15 (Stay in this time) is a line out of a fantastic 80's song. (U2's unforgettable fire) Yes I'm that old, bwahahhaa!

*Hannah. After the war I just could not imagine her staying content in her Alliance position, not with her only child nearly dying for the second time! I fondly remember writing about her doubts and insecurities and her decision to go and meet Karli.

*Samantha. Oh my goodness, what a sweet character, and that accent just kills me! Too bad they introduced her so late in the games. I followed up on an earlier plan to give her some action, but also realized killing someone in such a rage must affect her deeply. Fortunately there happened to be a sweet asari commando around to take care of her :)

*Arlas. I just couldn't include the word 'Father' as a reference to Shep. Thinking about this, I realized the asari must have words for the respective roles in their relationship, that is how I got inspired to include a little bit of alien language. It took off from there, and I believe it added a nice touch to the story.

Recommendations. I have read a lot of stories here on FF, in my opinion these are the best:

1) Parallel lives - Bebus. ME2/Shadow Broker content, writing is so sensitive and thoughtful. And those mirror chapters are extraordinary! The very best.

2) Intersecting lines and tangents - Wordkrush. Sweet and double sweet. It's a classic.

3) The girl crush - DKLC. Her style is unique. Witty, humorous, warm, and sometimes unapologetically silly :)

4) Theodur's two massive stories. Must read. I think for a good amount of people his story is canon :) I fondly remember some of his chapters and he's one of the few authors that has made me cry several times. In a good way!

5) Quick shots - Desert Sunrise. Very enjoyable original background stories, starting with a very young Hannah.

And check out "Hazardous situations" by Efa Aurora. Her ME2 is just kicking off with a unique red twist.

Final thoughts. Many, many thanks to Bioware. You have delivered a fantastic experience. Thanks to all writers on this website that have touched me with their stories. Action is great, but emotion usually wins for me :) Love, happiness, doubts and fears, life and death, kindness, healing, living one's dream, fleeting moments in the mists of time. Deep emotions - I try my hardest to write about that, cause those are the things that make my heart beat, that matter in this life.