I don't own Mass Effect or any of the related content, but I do own Jagher Shepard. Here's some background on my Shep that you should probably know: she's a spacer, a sole survivor, and a soldier. She's a paragde, which means she's mostly paragon, but she's not afraid to get bitch when she has to. She romanced Kaidan Alenko. This fic is rated for language and some sexual content.

A/N: This is the most fluff-tastic thing I've ever written and I don't remember what exactly made me write it in the first place. I'm glad you have all enjoyed it and that it's made a lot of you happy. That means a lot to me as a writer. I don't know if I'll ever write anything fluffy like this again, but I will be starting to work on the Moments for Mass Effect 3 if that's something of mine you've read. So, I'm so glad you've all enjoyed this and thanks for reading!

Nine; afterwards.

Jagher was asleep, sprawled starfish style across the hospital bed, the thin pink sheets just covering her legs. Her stomach was still a little swollen and her skin flushed, but she was smiling, even in her sleep, and the baby boy in her arms seemed just as content. Hannah was lying on the cot the hospital staff had brought up, the older woman asleep with one hand gripping the rails of Jagher's bed. As gently and quietly as he could, Kaidan lifted the tiny human into his arms and settled into the chair beside the bed, cradling his son close and whispering softly.

They'd named him Anderson James Alenko. Using only his last name had been Jagher's choice and one she hadn't explained beyond saying that she didn't want him to be a Shepard. Kaidan took that to mean she didn't want him to have all sorts of expectations foisted upon him before he was old enough to make his own decisions, and Kaidan agreed with that, though he did plan to get a better answer from Jagher at a later date, when they had adjusted to their new life a little bit. He'd thought they'd settled on Shepard-Alenko for the kid, for their family.

You need sleep, Alenko, he told himself. It doesn't matter right now. Nothing matters except that you have a son. A son whose mother is the love of your life and a hero. His eyes flicked to Jagher, still asleep. Her mouth was hanging open and she was snoring softly. He smiled to himself and looked down at his son, his perfect little boy.

Who had also fallen asleep, also with his mouth hanging open.

"Already just like your mother," Kaidan whispered.

Anderson had opened his eyes once already, right after he was born and cleaned. He hadn't cried, just looked around curiously, his eyes the same brilliant green of Jagher's. The boy had reached up towards Jagher's face when they'd placed him in her arms, and then did the same to Kaidan when the new father had held his son for the first time. Anderson had stared at Hannah for a long time, but kept his hands firmly to himself. When he'd been returned to his mother, he cried for the first time.

Though it had broken Kaidan's heart a little to hear the sound of distress, it was also a beautiful noise.

Jagher had panicked. She didn't know what to do. Kaidan remembered the tears in her eyes as she held Anderson close, rocking him slightly and hushing him with a shaky voice. He'd squeezed her shoulder and smiled at his son. After a few minutes, Anderson had fallen asleep.

And Jagher had cried.

She was still scared, she'd said, terrified. She didn't know how to be a mother. She didn't know how to do any of it. She'd read all the books and taken all the advice from the mothers who had come to the baby shower—women she didn't really know but had allowed to come with the sole intention of draining them dry of whatever information they'd had to give—but it was different now that the baby was here, that she was actually holding the human being in her arms.

Thankfully Hannah hadn't been in the room at that point, because Jagher had fallen back to blaming her mother for being more a soldier than anything else. She'd used some harsh words. And then she'd started crying again for swearing around the baby.

It had taken Kaidan a long time to coax Jagher into sleep, but she'd finally passed out and she'd remained that way for several hours.

"Your Mommy will figure it out," Kaidan told Anderson. He'd found a rhythm with the rocking chair that the baby seemed to like; he was making small noises in his sleep that almost sounded like cooing. "Once she's had some sleep, she'll know what to do. And I'll help her." He placed a soft kiss on his son's forehead. "I've wanted a child for a very long time, and a child with your mother since I realized I loved her."

"You never said anything."

Kaidan looked up into the still-bleary eyes of Jagher, one of his eyebrows lifting. "And what would I have said? Hey Shepard, I love you and think you're the woman I want to have children with? You weren't even sure you wanted to start a relationship." His voice wasn't hostile, just matter-of-fact, and it was barely a whisper. They didn't want to wake Anderson or Hannah.

She gave a small laugh and reached over to brush her fingertips over their son's rather thick, dark hair. "I know, but you never said you'd had those thoughts that early."

"I didn't want to scare you away."

For a second, it looked like Jagher might protest that outcome, but she gave her head a small shake. "I guess that was probably a good move." Her green eyes locked on her baby boy and for a long few minutes, things were silent, just the sound of everyone's breathing filling the room. There was a smile on Jagher's lips. "He's beautiful. I wouldn't change anything about the way our life has turned out, Kaid. This is perfect. All our children will be."

Kaidan laughed silently, his own face turning up in a grin to match hers. "Yes, they will. But I'd like to change one thing."

"Oh?"

Kaidan saw her cheeks flush and had a feeling she knew what he was about to say. "I want you to become my wife." He did his best to hold up one hand to cut her off and threw in a "shut-up" expression just for good measure. "Not right away, maybe not even for a long while yet, but I want you to be my wife, Jagher. I want a ceremony with everyone we love and care about there to see as we promise ourselves to each other. I know it seems a little… unnecessary after all we've been through, but I love you Jagher and I want us to be… together in every way possible, I guess."

Jagher's face was bright red, but she was smiling and her eyes held tears again. Happy tears. "I want to be Mrs. Jagher Shepard-Alenko, Kaidan. But can we figure out how to raise the baby first? One major event at a time."

Kaidan's answering laugh was louder and Hannah gave a start on the cot, but didn't awake. Anderson on the other hand, opened his big eyes and blinked a few times, looking back and forth between his parents. Then he began to cry.

"One major event at a time sounds like a smart plan," Kaidan agreed.