James wouldn't have been surprised to see Alenko standing on their veranda.

Never in a million years would he have expected to see his wheel-chair bound father, the woman laying dead at his feet, her neck broken.

His jaw fell open at the sight.

"Dad!?" he managed to voice.

Shepard turned back to him with a face that mirrored his own, then started to try to get to her feet.

James felt her muscles quiver with the strain, and scooped her up into his arms, slowly moving towards the man he hadn't seen in years.

The officers were hovering, unsure what to do in the presence of Commander Shepard, so James took charge.

"Get rid of the body."

"There's more inside," informed Shepard, her voice steadier now. James spotted the other bodies through the doorway. Six. He hugged her tighter.

They were in front of his father now.

"I'm okay now, James."

He gently placed her on her feet, his arm remaining around her waist to hold her against him, needing to feel her there, then focused on his father.

"Dad…how…I didn't even think you were alive," James stammered.

He looked him over. Unshaven, dirty clothes. His father clearly wasn't looking after himself.

The man just shrugged.

"Figured it didn't really matter," he answered, his voice full of sadness.

"I just kept an eye on you, is all. Both of you." His eyes fell on Shepard, softening. "The least I could do, after everything I did to you…son."

His head hung in shame, avoiding James gaze.

James realised he didn't hate his father any more, he'd moved past that a long time ago. Back in a bar on the Citadel after his Commander had given him a new viewpoint. He caressed her arm before moving closer to his father, his hand coming to rest on the man's shoulder.

His father jerked his head up in surprise, only to be met with a small smile from his son.

"Thank you, dad. For saving my wife, and my child."

"Child…" whispered his father, tears beginning to fall from his eyes, as he looked at Shepard.

Shepard felt her own tears well up. She was extremely proud of the man she'd married. She stepped up beside him, bent down to her new-found father-in-law, and kissed his cheek.

"Adrastia, or Adra, or even Lola, take your pick," she shrugged with a smile. Then James' words hit her.

"Wait a minute, how did you know…?" she sighed. "Liara."

"Don't be angry with her. She was the one who found out about the attack on you. She was checking your last movements and found your opened mail from the doctor. It was important information."

"Yeah," Shepard agreed, her hand caressing her stomach. James covered her hand with his own, pulling her in close to kiss her.

"Hm-hmm," coughed his father awkwardly.

They pulled apart.

"I'll get out of your way."

He started to wheel himself round, but James stopped him with a hand on the wheel-chair.

"Look…I think that…well, you look like you could do with a good meal, and a shower - definitely a shower."

His father huffed at James' way of telling him he stank.

"And, well, you know, if you were willing to…to get clean…" they both knew he wasn't talking about showers any more - "then, I… I want you to be a part of my family again. You know, if… if you wanted to be," James stammered, only able to keep going because of Shepard's hand gripping his in support.

His father stared back at him, astonished.

"If?… Huh… You've no idea how long I've wished for that, Jimmy. You're all I have, and I nearly destroyed you." His lip trembled as he spoke. "I'm so sorry, Jimmy."

James absorbed his father's apology..

"You're forgiven, dad. Time to move on, no?"

His father nodded back at him, a shaky smile forming.

"And I'm not the only family you have any more."

Shepard smiled back at his father, who reached out a hand to her.

"Pleased to meet you, Commander. James Sanders."

She took his hand.

"Call me Adra - or Lola. James calls me Lola," she rolled her eyes. "I'm really happy to meet you too, and I want you to know that we'll give you whatever support you need," she assured him.

"But you got to lay your issues with Emilio to rest. My tio and abuela are an important part of my family too. Understood?" James laid out his expectations.

His father nodded.

"You don't have to worry, Jimmy. I see the good he did. He was the father you deserved to have, and he has my respect for that. I'm not gonna do anything to mess up this second chance."

James was satisfied.

She looked slyly at her husband. "Does that mean we should call you Junior, now?"

James momentarily froze, then looked at her with a mock glare.

"That's a no then?" the sound of Shepard's laughter making him grin. Then he got serious as he studied her. Blood still trickled from her temple and cheek, an he raised a hand to caress her face.

"I'm fine, James. We're fine." It was like she read his mind.

He gave her a kiss, then turned his attention back to his father.

"Then let's get that food on the go." He wheeled his father over the glass, and into the kitchen. "And that shower…definitely that shower!"

Shepard watched them go, turning to Chakwas, who was patiently waiting to tend to Shepard's injuries.

"Care to join us?"

Shepard's Omni-tool beeped. She laughed when she saw who the caller was, before activating the call.

"Yes, Joker, and you."

"Plus one?"

"Goes without saying."

"Cool. I'll just go…park the ship."

Shepard signed off, with Chakwas's laughing, and sighed.

Some things never changed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

James embraced Shepard from behind, his hands falling on her round belly, as he kissed her neck. It was hard to believe that it was nearly four years ago that they were fighting for their very existence.

They watched their two year old son laughing with glee as his grandfather tickled him on his lap, the wheels of his chair sinking lower into the water-logged sand.

His uncle and abuela were tussling over the tongs for the barbeque on the veranda.

"Give me those, Emilio," warned his abuela. "We want edible food, not charcoal."

Emilio spluttered in offense.

"No! Barbeques are a man's domain!" he burst out, proudly standing up for himself.

"Ooohhh!" James winced, as Shepard covered her mouth. His uncle was in trouble now.

"WHAT!?" his abuela stood stock still and glared at her son, who swallowed despite trying to look indomitable.

"Adra!" she called out.

Shepard and James both laughed, as his abuela called her to fight beside her.

"Did you hear what he just said?!"

"I did, abuela. Seems like a challenge to me." Shepard said with mock seriousness, even cracking her knuckles.

Faced with two fierce women, Emilio looked for support from James, who just held up his hands.

"Sorry, Tio, but there's no way we can win that fight."

Emilio sighed in defeat, and handed over the tongs to his very smug mother. Grumbling to himself about being emasculated.

Shepard moved away from his abuela, who was now busy at the barbeque happily singing, and kissed his uncle on the cheek. Emilio's face transformed instantly, and he placed a protective arm around his niece, as they laughed at James' father when he finally admitted that he was stuck.

James stood back to survey the scene and decided he was in heaven. He had a woman he loved more than life, and who loved him back equally, and very soon they would have the daughter they had made together, in their arms, to join their family.

Shepard looked over her shoulder at him, her long hair blowing around her beautiful face, her smile dazzling and full of love for him.

Yep, his friends were right, he was the luckiest man alive, but not because he had won the hand of 'Commander Shepard'. No. He had been bestowed the honour of being allowed into the heart of his 'Lola'.

THE END

Authur's Note - I would just like to thank you for reading, following and/or favouriting(?) this story. In particular CyanB - This is my first fiction and I was very tentative about putting it up, but your review after my first chapter gave me the confidence to carry on, and your subsequent reviews kept me going. So a really, really big thank you to you.