AN: All names involved are intellectual property of Bioware and EA. I'm just borrowing them.

"Did you enjoy the tour?" Amelia straightened up from the glasses of wine she'd just poured, twisting the cap onto the bottle. She'd darted off to set up dinner in her cabin while Liara was reminiscing with the old crew. The meal wasn't much; just a few treats Shepard had been hiding from Gardner.

Liara walked a few paces into Shepard's cabin, clutching a small frame. She stopped at the fish tank, leaning closer with a smile to examine the sunfish. "Yes, it's a beautiful ship." She wandered over a few steps to look over Amelia's model collection. "It was good to see Joker again, and the others... Dr. Chakwas and Garrus, I am glad they are doing well."

Amelia set down the bottle and hopped up the steps to her office area. Liara turned to face Shepard and held out the frame she'd brought. "I brought you something... it took some digging, but I recovered your tags."

Amelia took the framed dog tags, silent. The imprinted words were scuffed and the metal was discoloured, but they'd been buffed to a gentle sheen. "Seems like forever since I was an Alliance soldier," she murmured, more to herself than Liara. "First I get tapped with the Spectres, now Cerberus has got me on their choke-chain..."

"You succeed against odds most people wouldn't even take on." Liara remarked, reaching out to rest her fingertips on Shepard's forearm. "It's no wonder everyone wants you on their side."

Amelia glanced up with a sardonic smile, stepping past Liara to set the dog tags next to the other frame on her desk. Shepard's proximity activated the picture frame to flicker on for a moment, and Liara caught an image of her face in the frame before Shepard moved back a pace and leaned against her desk, arms crossed.

Liara couldn't help but smile to herself, though the smile faded as she caught Amelia's worried look, the human staring at nothing in particular. "I know it wears on you..." Her eyes drifted back to the framed portrait of herself. "How are you doing, Amelia? I mean really? Not what you tell your squad to keep morale up."

Shepard glanced sidelong at Liara, her expression dark and unreadable. "Between you and me, Liara?" She looked away, eyes raised to the ceiling as if in supplication. "I have no idea how we're going to get through this. I'm doing everything I can, but..."

"You've done more than most... There wouldn't be a single man, woman or child left on Horizon, if not for you." Liara said softly.

Amelia snorted. "You know the worst part? Cerberus planted intel to lure the Collectors there... Horizon was just bait." Her brows furrowed, a frown creasing her face.

"Those bastards." Liara sympathised.

"They'd have just hit another world if Cerberus hadn't lured them there, but..." Amelia trailed off, heaving a deep sigh. "Enough about that." She waved a hand as if batting away the dark thoughts. "Let's have dinner before the soup's cold and the wine's warm, huh?" She grabbed Liara's hand and led the Asari down the steps to a seat on the leather sofa, where dinner was already laid out: two bowls of phở, made from an instant mix, a plate of spring rolls, and two glasses of deep red wine.

Liara blinked in surprise at the mood shift, but she decided it was best not to question, and just enjoy the night. It had been over two years, after all, and she'd thought Shepard was dead... "It has been a long time since I've had these." She smiled as she picked up a spring roll.

"Been a long time since I've made them." Amelia sat next to Liara, grabbing her bowl of soup. "Couldn't find any shrimp, of course, but I found some dried crab-things on Tuchanka that taste about the same."

They lapsed into companionable quiet for several minutes, simply enjoying the food and each other's presence. When Liara finished her phở, Amelia set down her bowl as well and rested a hand on Liara's thigh. The Asari tilted her head at Amelia, an eyebrow quirked. "Amelia, aren't you- I mean, Thane-"

"Liara." Shepard looked slightly wounded. "You know me better than that. I talked to Thane... he's all right with this. With us." She dipped her head forward to give Liara a gentle kiss, which the Asari met gladly; but when Amelia pressed to deepen it, Liara pulled away.

"Amelia, I'm... I'm sorry. I can't." Liara said, her expression apologetic. "It's..." She sighed, closing her eyes as she sought for the right words. "Look, did you read the dossiers I forwarded you on your crew?"

Amelia looked disappointed and vaguely startled. "I did. Well, I skimmed most of those files." She paused, giving Liara a wary, 'what does this have to do with anything' look. "...What about them?"

"It's Thane. Or about Thane." Liara's gaze drifted away from Amelia, her hands smoothing her dress across her knees. "There was one file I didn't send you. It was... well, I wanted to respect his privacy, but I think maybe you should see it."

Amelia had moved a fraction farther from Liara, her ardour gone and replaced by cautious suspicion. She said nothing for a long moment, her dark eyes studying Liara carefully. When did Amelia get the glowing crimson optical implants? Liara didn't remember Shepard having them when they'd first reunited, and now she decided they were downright unsettling. She swallowed a sigh; wondering what the hell Cerberus had done to her Amelia.

"I have a feeling I'm really not gonna like what this is." Amelia finally said, running her fingers through her hair with both hands.

Liara placed a hand on the human's shoulder. "You'll just have to see it. I'll send it when I get back to the- my base," She said softly. "I still care about you, Amelia. I just..." She stopped, unsure how to phrase this; instead, she just tried a different tack. "I'd still love to finish dinner with you."

Amelia put a hand over Liara's with a small but grateful smile. "Sure, Liara. I'd like that." She reached for another spring roll. "I've got something really nice for dessert..."

"Don't be a stranger, Shadow Broker." Amelia grinned as they embraced on Liara's new base of operations; ready to return to the Normandy, their lives separating again.

Liara winced and gave Amelia a light, playful punch to the shoulder. "Don't you start, too, Commander!" Amelia pretended to be injured, and both laughed together. "But please, Amelia... stop by anytime you're in this area of the galaxy. You're always welcome here." Liara smiled, then grasped Amelia's hand in an uncharacteristic handshake - pressing a small data chip into Shepard's hand.

Amelia raised an eyebrow at the handshake, and managed to raise it a millimeter higher as she glanced at the chip in her palm before pocketing it.

"It's that file," Liara explained simply, and she gave Shepard another quick hug. "I... better get to work, check on Feron..."

Amelia nodded. "I'll see you later, Liara - I hope your friend's all right." She headed down the hall to the shuttle dock. Liara lingered a moment, watching the automatic door shut behind her old friend and former lover.

Back at her cabin, Amelia gathered the dirty dishes into a pile and set it aside - she'd run it back down to the mess later. She didn't particularly feel like any more social interaction at the moment - particularly whatever horrible comments Joker would have for her; she'd just shut herself in the cabin for the night. Perhaps she'd just curl up with a good read, maybe re-read one of her favourite classic mysteries...

Right. The data chip Liara had given her. Amelia retrieved it from her pocket and sat at her reading desk. She considered destroying the chip, or simply tossing it out the airlock, but in the end curiousity won out. She picked up her reading PDA and slid out one of the e-book chips she had in it, snapping in Liara's instead. It popped up on the screen immediately; only a text file. Amelia selected it, and read:

Intercepted Correspondence Saved to Personal Drive

Siha,

I write this with a heavy hand, knowing you will read this letter when I am no longer able to share my thoughts. I am dying, Siha. Perhaps because of the differences between our species, I can hope that time will treat you with kindness and dim the hurt of my passing to faded recollections that a drell would forever remember with perfect clarity.

Selfishly, however, I could not leave this world without leaving a piece of me behind that would never fade.

I once accepted my fate. Nothing remained but a shell destined to die. I only had to choose the when and how of my passing. I had refused to be confined to a bed, gasping horribly as my life beeped away to machinery I had no use for. I thought of my Irikah, broken, bloodied, and betrayed by my absence. Of Kolyat, small and afraid, bravely pushing at his eyes to stem the flow of tears I had entrusted him to cry... for both our sakes.

The expectation to move swiftly to my end vanished upon uniting with your cause. You awoke me, Shepard. My heart quickened its sluggish beat if only to remain at your side and protect you with everything that I am. I was content to simply watch, take the time left given and praise all I know for allowing me to walk my final days with hope and certainty that I am worthy of more than my cold isolation, solely because you believed.

I love you. If all else whispers back into the tide, know this for fact. By grace given me by the Goddess Arashu, I bid her divine protection to you, my warrior-angel, my Siha, to succeed in your destiny. To light your path through the coming darkness. To give you hope, when all seems lost.

I will await you across the sea.

Thane

Amelia exhaled a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. "Oh, no. Ðụ má, you used that word," she muttered under her breath. Her eyes flickered back and forth, re-reading the letter. She set the PDA down quietly, gently, as if anything but the utmost care would shatter it. "You đụ má," she repeated in a strained whisper, her vision swimmy. She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, trying to stave off the tears.

She sat there for some time, allowing herself to cry alone; hunched over her desk while mute sobs wracked her body.