"Y'know, I almost feel sorry for these kids of ours. They're gonna end up being hellraisers, thanks to being stuck with us as parents," Joker murmured sleepily, rubbing his hand up and down over the warm expanse of Kara's belly.

"Mmm, why's that?" she yawned, snuggling back against Joker's body.

"Well… lookit who their mom is - this total badass who became the first human Spectre and saved both the Council and the Citadel. Then you got me - the best damned helmsman in the galaxy."

"Gods, they're gonna grow up with potty mouths and an appreciation for good intergalactic porn," Kara chuckled.

"Mmhm. What do I bet their first words will be either 'shit' or 'aww fuck' or something similar?" he laughed softly in her ear as he kissed the tip of it.

"Their teachers are gonna hate us and probably call us in constantly. I can see their first day of school being spent primarily in the principal's office."

"Yup. I wouldn't want it any other way, surprisingly enough. They won't be cookie cutter kids at least," Joker said, pulling Kara tighter against him. "Thinking about that though, we need to start planning the wedding. I want our kids born after we're married."

"Jeff, y'know I love you, but I'd honestly rather beat the side of a Reaper with a lint roller than try to plan a wedding. Issuing orders to ground troops? Easy peasy. Planning a wedding, food, flowers, dresses 'n shit? I'll be crazy and hiding under the bed inside a week. Let's just elope or somethin'."

"Nuh-uh. We're doing this right. Priest, bridesmaids, groomsmen, guests - all that jazz. You're not gonna make me be the woman and sit down with lists, are you?" he mock whined.

"If you want it done 'right' as you put it, then damn straight," she turned her face toward his and grinned.

"Shit," he laughed, pressing his lips against hers. Her eyes dancing, Kara playfully patted Joker's cheek.

"That's what you get for loving the 'great Commander Shepard' and asking her to marry you. Just give me the date and time and I'll try to find something somewhat suitable to show up in," she smirked then sighed, rolling over toward the end of the bed. Joker's hands tightened around her waist and he pulled her back toward him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Gonna be docking at Illium within the next four or so hours so I should start prepping to take care of all the shit I got going on over there."

"I think you can put it off a while longer," he murmured, pulling her beneath him as he slid inside her, his mouth covering hers. Quiet sighs and soft moans filled the air as the two celebrated each other.

_/*\_

"I'll probably be stuck on the station for a few days, hon. I've got so much shit to do here it's not even funny," Kara sighed, her armor clinking against the console as she leaned against it.

"Yeah, Miranda's crap along with picking up an assassin and some sort of asari justicar, right?"

"Mmhm. Fun times, eh? At least it'll give the crew some time to relax."

"True. Y'know, I was wondering, with the people the Illusive Man has us picking up, if he's doing some one stop shopping somewhere. I mean shit, this asari is supposed to be some sort of trained killer, so is he getting them all at the same store or something?"

Kara choked on a laugh, her shoulders shaking with her merriment.

"I'll have to ask him the next time he sends his summons to talk to me. Gods, Joker," she grinned.

"Hey, I got ya to smile, though."

"You always do," she said, leaning down to kiss him lightly before turning toward the hatch, stopped by the grip of his fingers on hers.

"Take care down there and be careful. Trouble always seems to find you somehow and now I have more than just you to worry about," his voice was soft as he looked up at her, his hand squeezing hers tightly.

"I'll do my best," she replied, returning the squeeze before slipping out to meet up with Grunt and Miranda. His eyes followed her until she was out of his sight, his chest tightening with nerves.

_/*\_

"Shepard!" Liara turned to the group, her eyes wide with happiness as she saw her old friend. Reaching out, she tugged Kara into a tight hug and held on.

"Liara," Kara sighed, sinking into the embrace. "Gods I've missed you!"

"Kara, you have no idea how happy I am to see you alive and well! It seems I made the correct choice…"

"Correct choice?" Kara asked, releasing her friend and taking a step back. "Care to explain? Also, what the hell is up with you sounding like your mother? Threatening to kill someone with your mind? Asking if they'd ever gone up against an asari commando before?"

"About that… things have changed while you were gone. I am an information broker now and sometimes people aren't exactly forthright with their information so threats must be made."

"I… see. And this choice you mentioned?" Kara quirked a brow.

"Oh, that. A friend and I recovered your body soon after the Normandy went down. The Shadow Broker wanted it, but when I heard that Cerberus was wanting to try and bring you back to us, I had to try. Please don't be mad at me!"

"I'm not mad. Surprised, but not mad. What did the Shadow Broker want with my body? Something to stuff and mount and show off that he had me or sell off to some other trophy collector?"

"I don't know, Shepard. So, what brings you to Illium?" Liara asked.

"I'm looking for some people and was told you might have insight on where to find them."

"Who are you looking for?"

"An assassin by the name of Thane Krios and an asari called Samara."

"Samara arrived recently and registered with Tracking Officer Dara. Dara can be found at the transportation hub."

Kara raised a brow at Liara's comment.

"Registered with a tracking officer? What for? Don't tell me I'm going to be stuck with yet another criminal on board my ship. What the hell is a justicar anyway?"

"Oh no, definitely not a criminal! In fact she's the exact opposite. A Justicar is an ancient sect of asari warriors who strive to uphold the law," Liara replied.

"Well that makes me breathe a bit easier. What about Thane?"

"He arrived here a few days ago. My sources say he might be targeting a corporate executive by the name of Nassana Dantius."

"Hmm, I wonder if I can beat him to her…" Kara mused.

"Why would you want to do that, Shepard?" Miranda asked.

"That bitch tricked me into killing her own sister. I have a few words reserved especially for her, along with a bullet."

"I thought that name sounded familiar. Now I know why," Liara stated.

"Any suggestions on how to find him?" Kara asked, returning her attention back to Liara.

"He's been in contact with a woman named Seryna. She has an office down in the cargo transfer levels. Perhaps she can give you more information."

"You weren't kidding when you said you've been working as an information broker. Those answers came quite readily to you," Kara chuckled. "Y'know, I could really use you back on my team, Liara. Why don't you come with me, or at least grab your stuff and head to the ship?"

"I… I'd love to, Kara, but I can't. I have responsibilities here now, and while I know your fight against the Collectors is important, so is what I'm doing."

"Maybe when I'm finished with my business here on Illium, you and I can sit down and have a chat and you can explain exactly what's going on with you."

"I'd like that, though I might not be able to tell you much. As with any place, my office is surely bugged and there are some things I don't want overheard."

"Understood, Liara. It was good seeing you again," Kara smiled at her friend. "I should be going, but I'll try to stop back before we need to pull out of port."

"Take care of yourself, Shepard. You're one of the few people left in my life who I still trust. I don't want to lose you again."

Nodding, Kara backed out of Liara's office, her mind already on her next task.

_/*\_

Muttering under his breath, Joker stared at the different lists he had tried to come up with in regards to planning for the upcoming wedding. The data pad didn't seem to have any answers for him, nor was the cup of coffee sitting in front of him on the table in the mess doing any good in helping him concentrate.

"What's wrong, Joker?" Chakwas asked from behind him.

"I don't know the first thing about planning a damned wedding and Kara has too much on her plate to take care of it herself. Hell, with a comment she made to me earlier, she probably won't even bother trying to find a dress. I want to do this right but I'm worried I'm gonna fuck it up somehow," he sighed.

"I have an idea."

"I'm all ears, Doc. Lay it on me."

"Why don't you let me see what I can do? Also, why not talk to Kasumi and Tali? You know Tali would do anything to find a way to make the day special, and Kasumi seems to have a good grasp of formal wear, with that dress she talked the Commander into wearing a while back."

"Thank you. Thank you! I'm looking at blank lists of some of the things Kara mentioned earlier, like guests and flowers and food and had no idea where to even start. Hell, I don't even know where a good place would be to have it."

"I've already got some thoughts on that. As far as guests, why not invite the crew, Councilor Anderson, and even though I'm sure he's busy, send off an invitation to Admiral Hackett? I'm sure there are other names you can come up with of people you might want attending. Now, for the venue. I know of this pretty little garden area not too far away from the Presidium. It's quiet, doesn't get much foot traffic, and you get a good view of the lakes as well," Chakwas mused, already getting into the role of wedding planner.

"Sounds good. I should probably send off a message to… well never mind! Here come Kasumi and Tali right now," Joker replied.

"I heard my name mentioned," the thief grinned as she approached the table.

"Yeah. Y'know, the doc here brought up a good point. You picked out an incredible dress for Kara when she helped you out with that thing on Beckenstein. Think you could help with a wedding dress?"

"I would love to, but wouldn't Commander Shepard prefer to pick it out herself?" Kasumi asked.

"Her comment to me this morning was, 'Just give me the place and time and I'll try to find something suitable to wear'. I don't think she's planning on doing any dress shopping," Joker sighed.

"Then it would be my pleasure. Oh, I think I already have the perfect dress in mind. Let me go get in touch with a contact and see about getting it shipped here. I can do the tailoring myself so that it fits her perfectly!" she smiled and clapped her hands, then quickly exited toward her room.

"What can I do to help?" Tali asked.

"I'm sure Dr. Chakwas can come up with ideas. There is something…" he trailed off as Garrus approached the group from the forward battery.

"Oh good, now that you're both here, there's something I need to tell you."

"What do you need?" Garrus asked.

"Look, you need to keep it to yourselves. Chakwas already knows, but we don't want this getting out to the general public and take the chance of the Illusive Man finding out," Joker began.

"Is something wrong?" Tali looked at Joker, her hands twisting nervously in front of her.

"No, something is incredibly right, but I don't want that man possibly screwing it up. Kara's pregnant."

"Spirits…"

"Oh keelah…"

"I'm telling you this because I trust you. I'm also letting you in on this secret because I want you to keep an eye on her whenever you're out together. And if you're wondering, I already swept the mess for bugs so our 'benefactor' isn't able to listen in on this conversation."

"Congratulations," Tali said, reaching out to hug the pilot. Garrus extended his hand and shook Joker's once the quarian had stepped back.

"You know we'd do anything for Kara. Just say the word and we're there," the turian stated.

"Do you know what it is, yet?" Tali asked. "A boy or a girl?"

"No clue, other than the fact that it's twins," Joker replied, his eyes lighting up and his grin crooked. "I know I need to be patient but, gods, I can't wait to hold them in my arms. Little bundles of precious," he sighed.

"Oh that sounds so wonderful," Tali said, patting Joker on his shoulder. "So, the wedding. Any idea of when you want to have it?"

"Shit, you just had to remind me, didn't you? Here I was all picturing pretty babies and you make me remember all this planning I gotta do," he groused, though his lips quivered as he tried to hold back a smile. "I want it soon, though, that much I do know. I want 'em born after we're married. I also want, just in case things do go bad on this mission, to be able to know she's mine in the eyes of the gods and the law, before we hit the Omega 4."

"I think that can be arranged. Most of the guests are on this ship, and I'm sure Councilor Anderson would drop whatever he's doing for our Kara," Chakwas replied.

"If you tell me where it'll be held, perhaps Garrus and I could come up with some lighting ideas? I don't know. I'm better with tech than I am with planning fancy things."

"Some sort of little garden near the Presidium? You'll need to work with the doc on that. Then there's flowers, and food, and I'd like to find someone who can take pictures…"

"I'll take the pictures!" Tali stated, her voice filled with excitement. "That's what I can do!"

"I can speak with the Presidium grounds keeper. I've never known a turian with a greener thumb than he's got," Garrus intoned, his eyes thoughtful.

"Count me in for the food," Gardner said as he walked into the mess. "If you wouldn't mind my contribution."

"Great, looks like I've got the venue, dress, food, flowers, and pictures taken care of. Just need to send out a couple of invitations, like to my parents, Anderson, and Hackett, and pick a date. That was easier than I thought it'd be!"

"Why not the 28th of August for a date? That's a month from now," Chakwas asked as she looked over Joker's datapad, noting the information down for him.

"Sounds good. I'll just have to keep reminding Kara about it so she doesn't forget."

"You know she wouldn't. She loves you and knows this is important to you," the doctor smiled at him.

"Yeah, you're right. Well I should head back to my chair and send out those invitations. Thanks for the help and keep me updated, alright?"

"Of course, Joker," Garrus nodded his head to the man. "I'll see about sending something out and get the flowers taken care of for you."

"Oh I'm so excited!" Tali jumped up and down.

"Hey Tali, before you head back down to Engineering, can you let Kasumi know when we'll need the dress by?"

"Will do, Joker," she said, hugging him tight from behind before running off towards the thief's quarters.

"Man, talk about a load off these shoulders. This is going to be great," Joker grinned.

"See what happens when you let people help?" Chakwas smirked at him.

"Oh hush. This is different, though, not people doing shit outta pity because I'm creaky."

"True, but perhaps this will show you how good having friends can be," the doctor replied as she made her way back to the med bay.

Grinning, he shook his head in her direction and rolled his eyes. Making his way back to the cockpit, while he'd never admit it to Chakwas, he did agree that perhaps letting others help wasn't always a bad thing. He pushed that thought off to the side though as he tried to compose a halfway decent invitation in his head to send off to the Admiral and Anderson. After that little chore was done, he scanned his messages, smiling when he noticed one from Kara.

Hey Joker,

Interesting day here so far. Learned that my body was actually to be given to the Shadow Broker but was donated to Cerberus instead when Liara found out they wanted to resurrect me. Not sure what the broker wanted with my body but, ugh, glad he didn't get it. And yeah, you read correctly, I spoke to Liara. She's some kind of information broker now herself. The Illusive Man was wrong, though, when he said she was working for the Shadow Broker. She hasn't told me anything but I have this gut feeling that they're not on good terms. Then again, in her line of work, she would be a competitor of his.

Retrieved Miranda's sister and made sure she was safe. Her and her family are now off to some new life away from this place. Tomorrow we're going after the assassin. I'm hoping I can get to his target before he does. I have a few words for Nassana Dantius ever since she tricked me into taking out her sister. Scuttlebutt is that she's even worse now so she needs to be taken out.

Hate to admit it, but sometimes having Cerberus funds actually does have its advantages. Picked up some wicked upgrades for weapons and armor and ho-ly shit, you should see this hotel room I've got for the night. It's actually a suite and damn is it huge. I have it booked for the rest of the week, depending on how long it takes me to pick up Thane and Samara. I'll miss sharing it with you tonight, but maybe you can find some way to come down here so I'm not so lonely the rest of the week.

Love you,

Kara

"Oh you can bet on it. Sharing a posh hotel room with you sounds like a perfect plan," he murmured, closing out his inbox. Having nothing else to do for the evening, he made his way up to their room and slept with her pillow in his arms, wanting to be able to breathe in her scent with every breath he took and hope it would bring him dreams of her.