A/N: Okay here we go: two-part story. This is set after the recruitment of Samara and Thane and after Miranda has helped her sister. Shepard has helped Liara with her funny business, hacking the terminals and all that. This is a take at what could have happened between Shepard and Liara.

I just thought I'd post it here, even though I'm not a hundred percent sure about it and not entirely satisfied; so let me know what you think.


Everything has a Price

Chapter 1 - So Far from Home

Shepard leaned heavily on the bar in Eternity. Her thoughts were twisting and turning and jumping through damn loops at the speed of light. She didn't know what to say or what to do and her heart felt heavy like lead or more like someone had blown it out with a goddamn shotgun. She shut her eyes tightly and clenched her jaw irritably 'She was talking to her like she was some hired agent. Her Liara. The kind, innocent, intelligent caring Liara who she fell in love with was now some obsessed information broker who only saw the straight red line of revenge.

Those warm, gentle sapphire eyes that she could loose herself in were now cold and distant intent on one thing only. The destruction of the Shadow Broker… A mission that was most likely impossible in the first place. Liara would probably destroy herself before she ever found that cowardly son of a bitch.

The tumult of rage and rejection sent a jolt of electricity through Shepard and she slammed her clenched fist on the counter. The Asari Matriarch at the bar turned and faced Shepard "Anything I can do for you, honey?" she asked with a hint of curiosity.

Shepard looked up and quickly regained her composure. She buried the raging storm of emotions deep within like she had done countless times over the years. She masked her hurt with an easy smile and ran her hand through her short hair.

"No, thanks" she said easily and looked around for the rest of her party and spotted Miranda and Garrus walking toward her. Garrus looked a little cross as he read off his omni-tool while Miranda bore a rather sad smile when she locked eyes with Shepard but quickly hid it.

Shepard turned back to the Matriarch "On second thought, hit me with the strongest you have"

The Asari laughed, "Oh I think your really going to enjoy this" she said and poured Shepard a rather large shot of a smooth purplish liquid. Shepard eyed the glass suspiciously and looked up at the smiling matriarch.

Frankly, she didn't give a damn about what the hell the contents of the glass were, as long as it numbed her mind and got her thinking about something else than the gaping hole in her heart. She grabbed the drink and downed it in one go. It burned as it slid down her throat but as it settled in her gut it turned cold and as Shepard exhaled a puff of mist escaped her mouth. The feeling was quite nice.

"Hit me again" She said evenly as Miranda came up to her.

"Started early have we?" She said coolly in her Australian accent and was answered by a smile that didn't quite reach Shepard's eyes "There might not be a later" Shepard answered easily and downed her second drink.

"Join me?" Shepard asked, "Hell, I could use the company, otherwise I'm just a lowly drunk who nobody wants to talk to" she finished with a grin.

Miranda chuckled softy "Sure, Commander." Shepard gave her a wink and ordered three more drinks because out of the corner of her eye, Garrus was now approaching them.

"Hey Shepard. Is everything o-" he was cut off by Shepard "Have a seat my friend. I already ordered you a drink- and here it is." She said as the Matriarch served their drinks. Shepard downed her in one go and signaled for yet another one. Garrus looked questioningly from Shepard to Miranda. He knew his best friend must be hurting from the way she had stormed out of Liara's office but he wasn't sure this was the best remedy.

Miranda gave him a reassuring nod. It was good to give the commander a little space to grieve and obviously this is how she wants to do it. Garrus gave his best friend another look and then glanced back at Miranda before he placed a talon on Shepard's shoulder. He gave the Commander what passed as a smile on a Turian and emptied the contents of his glass.

"There you go. I know Wrex still holds the record but I'm pretty sure I beat your ass last time" Shepard said with a smile

"Oh, I don't think so Shepard. I think you passed out and then remembered what the hell you wanted to remember" He laughed as he poked fun at his commander.

"I didn't pass out! I took a break-nap!" Shepard defended innocently but couldn't hide the smile on her lips. Garrus laughed as he downed another drink.

Soon enough they had called Jack, Grunt, Samara, Jacob and even Kelly up to join them. The club was now buzzing with activity and the music pounded loudly as people of different species danced to the beat on the dance floor.

The Normandy party was a little scattered by now. Jacob and Samara were talking by the bar. Grunt and Garrus were still on their feet and competing for which one of them would fall first while discussing killing techniques with a shotgun compared to a sniper rifle.

Jack was by the bar consuming shot after shot of some green liquid just as an Asari approached her. Jack seemed suspicious at first before she turned a little to face her. Maybe the alcohol was getting to her a little, allowing her to relent her paranoid ways for a moment.

Shepard was leaning her forehead on the table as the bass pumped through her ribcage and hot blood pumped through her veins at the speed of sound. The buzz from all those drinks turned her thoughts into short strings of mush. Her heart felt heavy and she sighed as she straightened. She felt someone's presence and looked up to see a person with fantastic curves, which then led to a just perfect swell. She continued up to be met by icy blue eyes, framed with long silky, raven hair.

Shepard gave Miranda a crooked smile "Came to join the lowly drunk again have you?" she spoke lazily.

"I thought you looked positively adorable passed out on the table" Miranda gave Shepard an easy smile as she took a seat next to her and placed her glass of wine on the table. "It was a break-nap!" Shepard answered flippantly "and don't tell Garrus" she gave Miranda a mock glare. Her XO chuckled lightly and they looked out onto the sea of dancing bodies.

"Well, this was an unexpected evening" she continued, "Too bad Thane and Mordin didn't want to join us. I'm sure we would be witnessing a wholly unforgettable evening"

"Yeah right" Shepard snorted "Mordin would probably be hopping around like a horny hamster on amps and I'm sure all the booze would make things worse"

"I'm sure you're right" Miranda chuckled lightly before she looked down on the floor. Shepard also averted her gaze and took a swig of the drink beside her on the table.

"Look, Commander…" Miranda paused briefly as she thought about how she would say this without, in any way, making the commander uncomfortable

"… I'm really sorry about… Well, about Dr. T'Soni. I know it must have been difficult" She looked up and met Shepard's unruly gaze as the commander studied her face for any deception or hidden motives.

Once satisfied Shepard turned away and took another mouthful of her drink. Miranda cursed mentally as she thought about getting up and leaving the commander to her thoughts. She was thankful that Shepard had helped her get her sister away from their father's grasping clutches and to a safe and unknown location.

She wanted to be able to help the commander in return and Miranda had finally come to a place where she no longer held any secrets from Shepard or had any "harmless" ulterior motives and she didn't want the commander to think she still did. She was so immersed in her thoughts that she was a little startled when Shepard spoke "I guess I shouldn't have expected anything. Especially after our first couple of visits, thinking she'd talk to me after I had found Samara, then Thane and then maybe after I ran around and did her dirty work fro her" Shepard clenched her jaw tightly and glared at her now empty glass.

She took a deep breath before she sighed "It's only been a few months for me but for her, two years have passed by… I suppose can't blame her for rejecting me after all" Shepard finished sadly as she watched the dance floor absent-mindedly as the people occupying it, moved to the beat of the music. Sliding their bodies against each other as they were stirred by the rhythm like waves sliding upon the oceans surface. Shepard fought back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes and sat back in her seat instead.

"But enough about that…" Shepard said with a smile as she regained her composure and put on a cocky smile "… So, Ms. Lawson, care to dance?" Shepard asked elatedly as she extended her hand for Miranda to take.

Miranda gave Shepard a suggestive smile as she took her hand, and together they walked over to the dance floor.


The door to the VIP bathroom flew open as Shepard and Miranda staggered inside. Shepard shut the door and fumbled to lock it while facing her XO and capturing her lips in a heated kiss. Miranda's hands were buried in Shepard's hair as she was pushed backwards until her voluptuous bottom touched the edge of the expensive basin.

Shepard lifted her up and sat her on the basin counter without breaking their lip-lock. Shepard ran a hand lightly down Miranda's spine and was rewarded with a soft moan. The commander took this opportunity to slide her tongue into Miranda's mouth and run it the length of Miranda's own.

All the alcohol in their systems made them slow and unperceptive. The slow pumping of blood in their veins carried fog and impenetrable haze that obscured Shepard's thoughts and her movements were sluggish and imprecise. Everything took thrice the time and her thoughts were lazy, she was swimming in feelings, contemplations and white noise. Hurt and anger was at the forefront but they too took time to surface.

Miranda groaned as Shepard descended to the crook of her neck where she placed kisses along her collarbone. The Cerberus operative buried her fingers in the commanders' hair and scraped her scalp when Shepard hit a particularly sweet spot. Miranda then tilted Shepard's head up by her hair and crushed her plump lips against the commanders. Shepard snaked her hands around her XO and grabbed her butt cheeks before she reached for the zipper on Miranda's uniform.

It seemed Miranda's cognitive abilities were still a little better of than those of the commanders. For when Shepard began to drag the zipper down Miranda hesitated for a second. The lazy movements of her limbs and the haze in her mind cleared for a brief second to allow for a short thought to surface 'This is wrong'

Miranda reached up and gently laid her hand on top of Shepard's to still her movements on the zipper. Placing her other hand on the commanders shoulder she gently pushed Shepard a little ways away and broke their kiss so she could look in her eyes "Wait, Commander" She said softly "This-… We can't do this"

Anger flashed across Shepard's eyes briefly before it was replaced by hurt. Miranda was rejecting her now too; this was getting old, and fast…

Miranda however, was quick to catch on "It's not like that. As much as I would like to continue it wouldn't be fair to you, not after all that has happened today, and not in the state that we are in" She looked sincerely into Shepard's eyes and the commander averted her gaze and seemed to find a particularly interesting spot on the floor.

As coherent thoughts and feeling surfaced to the forefront of Shepard's conscience the fog began to ebb away and she knew that Miranda was right "You're right of course" the commander agreed and scratched the back of her neck "We should stop…" she finished with authority.

Miranda hopped down from the basin counter "Maybe this isn't something that should be common knowledge" She stated a matter-of-factly even though a smile played on her lips.

Shepard gave a crooked smile "As good as forgotten Ms. Lawson" and was answered with a nod "Commander" before Miranda walked out as gracefully as always. Miranda was at least good at pretending things never happened and would be as indifferent about the subject if it was brought up as if it really never had taken place at all.

Shepard smiled sadly to herself and ran ha hand through her short hair but only succeeding in making it even messier. Miranda was a good person, and she was glad she didn't do anything she would regret. Shepard walked casually out of the bathroom and headed for the Normandy and her warm, inviting bed.

From the corner of the club an individual stepped out of the shadows. Nartius walked out of Eternity calmly and flipped on his omni-tool. The Turian clicked a few buttons before a signal cracked in his earpiece.

"I have some information for you, Broker. If you want it…" he smiled briefly "Commander Shepard… Sure, but this is gonna cost you".


Next chappie up soon. Please leave a review on your way out, I really appreciate it.