To Each Their Clone Pt. 01

Disclaimer: This deviates from the original request somewhat in that it doesn't have Oriana visiting Miranda on the SR2 during the events of ME2. Instead I opted to go for the concept of Shepard visiting Miranda after the events of ME3. This also means it occupies an almost AU canon, as it has Shepard still very much alive after the game. As you read on, you'll see why. Beyond that, the overall premise and is the same.

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Tiny green and red rings plopped into a pool of creamy liquid to join a rainbow of others like them, their intended destination still open, but not to receive them. Instead the mouth of the young woman was wide open in surprise at the revelation that she'd heard from the other woman sitting across the table from her. It took Oriana Lawson a moment to verbally respond.

"You're kidding! When?"

"She should be here in the next two days," Miranda Lawson answered before casually sipping at her coffee, her eyes not moving from a datapad in the other hand. Oriana set her spoon amongst the mass of colors before her.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Oriana responded, her blue eyes seeming to double in size. "W-w-we need to get ready!"

"Because I didn't know earlier," Miranda answered matter-of-factly, then she cocked an eyebrow at her sister. "And what do you mean by 'get ready?'"

"Well, we... we have to clean up this place. We need to get some food for nice meals, prepare her a room, we need..." Oriana trailed off briefly before switching topic. "Do you know what she likes to drink? Wine? Beer? Some weird alien drink?"

Miranda couldn't help but laugh. "Calm down, Ori. You're making too big a deal out of this."

"Is there such a thing?" Oriana responded. "I mean, when we're talking about Commander Shepard here? She's about as big as you can get. You of all people should know that."

"What am I then? Chopped liver?" Miranda joked, feigning insult. "I was there too, y'know." She paused and took another sip. "And so were you sometimes."

"It's not quite the same," Oriana said.

"No, but Shepard already knows us personally," Miranda stated. "She doesn't expect any special treatment. In fact, knowing her, she's probably sick to death of it ever since we sent The Reapers packing. She can't take two steps without somebody wanting an interview or autograph or photo or something. Not to mention all these obligations she has now with The Council. It's only just now that she's found the free time to spend some time with m-"

Miranda cut herself off, realizing how she'd almost said too much. She cleared her throat and diverted as quickly as she could. "...with more of her friends. She will be perfectly happy to be treated like a normal person for once. Don't worry about it and finish your breakfast."

Oriana seemed to have swallowed that and not noticed the screw up, and Miranda let out a small, inaudible sigh of relief. She hadn't yet told Oriana about the depth and true nature of her relationship with Jane Shepard, Savior of the Galaxy. It was largely because she and Shepard had decided they would prefer to keep it a secret themselves more than anything, at least until things had died down a bit and the masses of attention Jane was receiving had abated. It wasn't that Miranda didn't trust Oriana to keep it to herself, but she wasn't sure if she might accidentally let it slip. On top of that, she wasn't sure how Oriana would take it. She didn't think her younger sister was a homophobe at all, but when she keeps asking for relationship advice about boys more often than anything else, it might not go down as well if she were to know her sister was into girls.

Not that Miranda always was. In fact, it wasn't until Shepard came along that Miranda had even considered the notion, let alone actually entertained it. She'd had the odd relationship with men before, such as Jacob Taylor, but they ended in the same disappointment in the end. On top of that, work had usually consumed her life more than anything else. But with Shepard things just clicked, more than they had with any man. And when she discovered that she couldn't get pregnant anyway, the need for a man in her life seemed to vanish utterly.

Beyond all this, she was only really just getting to know her sister and spend some time with her. Oriana had become very special to her, and Miranda didn't want her to feel that there was someone competing for her affections and attention or that might take her away from her. That was a barrier time would remove, and when the time was right Miranda would tell Oriana all about her relationship with Jane.

Of course, she did realize that Jane's visit was going to make that difficult. Oriana was right with one thing: they would have to set up a room for Jane. Having Jane sleep with her would be a dead giveaway. She'd have to use some covert tactics in order to get some private time with Shepard. She'd need to find ways to get Oriana out of the house or sneak quick visits to Shepard's room at night. Oriana was smart though, and observant. It was a trait they shared. Miranda looked across at her sister, smiling at the way she scooped Froot Loops into her mouth. While they were the same in a lot of ways, they also seemed different in others. Oriana's youth was still apparent not just in her appearance, but in her demeanor. She was less serious than Miranda was, and sometimes even a little childish. Miranda's eyes shifted to the cereal bowl she'd already emptied. It had been occupied by drab, brown cereal of bran rather than the calico collection of sugar that Oriana was downing now. But then, Miranda had to admit that she didn't really find the taste of her bran breakfast appealing, and she'd never even tried Froot Loops.

Looking back at Oriana, Miranda saw their similarities come to the fore again with the look on her sister's face. The older Lawson frowned.

"Stop it," she ordered, making Oriana jump a little.

"S'thop whaff?" Oriana answered with a mouthful of cereal. Miranda's frown grew, but a smirk came to her face.

"I know what you're doing, I can see it on your face," she accused. "You're still planning things for Shepard."

A flush came to Oriana's cheeks and she lowered her head, swallowing her food.

"Just a little," she admitted, lifting her free hand to gesture with her thumb and forefinger appropriately.

"You're impossible," Miranda said, rolling her eyes. "I suppose I should be happy though. You're the one doing all the work from the sounds of it. I have an easy next couple of days ahead of me."

"Randaaa!" Oriana whined. The older Lawson laughed.

"I'm kidding," she said, leaning back and crossing her legs. "Just don't go overboard. Remember what I told you about her probably wanting to be treated normally. Keep it low-key, that's all I ask."

"Can't I go just a little bit further than that?" Oriana asked, almost pleadingly.

Miranda looked across at her sister, and despite their short amount of time together she'd already picked up on some of her sister's mannerisms and what they meant. She could tell that, for one reason or another, Oriana really wanted to do this. Miranda's tone became more serious when she next spoke. "You really want to for some reason, don't you?"

From leaning forward slightly in her chair with a sweet smile, Oriana seemed to shrink back noticeably at Miranda's question. Her cheeks reddened a little and she looked back down at her bowl.

"Well, I..." she began, pushing the last remaining sugary life preservers around in the final dregs of milk with her spoon. "I just feel that I need to, well... kind of... personally thank Commander Shepard, y'know?"

She looked up at Miranda who just cocked an eyebrow. She could tell her older sister was just waiting for her to continue, so she did.

"Well, aside from saving the whole galaxy, perhaps the universe even, she's done... a lot for us lately." A pause. "A lot for me." Another pause. "She saved my life directly, from Dad. Twice, in fact. And on top of that, she was the one who brought us together."

Miranda couldn't help but feel a small smile come to her lips and a warmth to her heart. Oriana looked up and smiled back.

"You always said that it was her who encouraged you to come and speak with me after that whole incident on Illium," Oriana said. "I know why you were reluctant to, and in some ways it might have been best if you hadn't. But... I'm glad you did. I'm glad you listened to her."

Miranda felt her eyes tear up. She tried blinking them away. Not wanting to interrupt her sister, she remained silent.

"So, I guess you could say that Shepard is my own personal hero, in many ways," Oriana stated. "I've got a lot of respect for her." She paused. "I think a lot of her." Another pause. "And... I think of her a lot."

Miranda's eyebrows flicked up at that last comment, and she noticed Oriana react the same way a split second later. She'd clearly said it before she'd even really thought about it, and it had taken a moment for her to register that. Oriana's cheeks grew a little redder and she quickly rose from the table, picking up her bowl.

"Well, there's a lot to be done before she arrives," Oriana stated quickly. "Better get these breakfast dishes done. Y'done with that?"

Miranda felt her coffee cup snatched away before she could even utter a response as Oriana seem to flash out of the room with an armful of empty plates, bowls and mugs. Miranda was left speechless, looking at the kitchen door that hid her sister a few seconds ago. She wasn't sure quite how to feel about what she'd just learned.

"So," Miranda whispered to herself. "She has a crush on Shepard." She sighed and shook her head. "Well that just complicates things."