Shepard was resting. Her body had taken a heavy toll in the final hours of the battle. Her soul had taken a heavier one. She'd dreamed. Of war. Of peace. Of the things she wanted and needed. When she woke, once, briefly, she'd cried out Liara's name, but the Normandy was still missing.
How could she be alive, after all this, and the shoulders of giants that she'd stood on be gone? Shepard drifted back into her haze. She didn't come back out of it for some time. Her body healed slowly.
In her sleep she sensed a presence, and found Liara's hand with hers. She held fast to it, a single lifeline in a stormy sea. Her eyes flickered open, and fell into a pair of eyes so blue they were like gems. It felt like coming home.
Shepard gave her a tired smile. Her voice was rough with disuse. "Hey you.."
"Hey, you."
"...So about those little blue babies..."