Disclaimer: Yes, I absolutely own Mass Effect 2. I bought it from the BioWare company on my student's salary.

Author's Notes:

This takes place in the time immediately after the Normandy is attacked. It's not quite finished not how I want it to be I'm very much stuck in a writer's block in terms of trying to finish this. I've decided to post it for now and leave it as a one-shot perhaps to be revised or added on to in the future.

I had it in mind that Liara initially, in her grief and anger, would blame Joker for Shepard's first death.

SPOILERS.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it.

"Kinetic barriers down!" Joker frantically manipulated his screen trying to assess the damage the laser seared through the Normandy. "Multiple hull breaches! Weapons are offline! Somebody get the damn fire out!"

In midst of all the chaos, Liara T'Soni anxiously ran through the crashing Normandy dodging explosions left and right searching for Shepard, narrowly missing one that could have easily shot through her armor as she caught the faint outline of the commander.

"Shepard!"

Shepard put on her helmet with a hiss, "Liara!"

"Is the distress beacon ready for launch?"

"Yes"

"Will-Will the Alliance make it here in time?"

Another explosion threw Liara off balance stumbling forward while Shepard just managed to catch her.

"The Alliance won't abandon us." Shepard replied, with more fires popping up as a result of the explosions Shepard quickly went into action; grabbing a two fire extinguishers and throwing one in Liara's direction to put out the small fires in her way.

"Commander, Joker is still in the cockpit. He won't abandon ship!" Liara turned her head around to look at Shepard, "And I'm not leaving either."

With the resounding crash that followed, Shepard threw down the extinguisher, quickly walking towards Liara and grabbing her arm.

"Liara, I need you to get the crew into the evacuation shuttles." Hesitation showed in Liara's eyes. "Don't worry about Joker, I'll take care of him. Go!"

Another crash and the ship was too unstable, Liara held on to a post for support as she called out, "Shepard…"

"Liara, now is not the time."

"Shepard, please be safe." Liara's tone filled with concern.

"I will be. I love you." Shepard took held out her hand and gave Liara's a reassuring squeeze, before her tone became more urgent, "Now go!"

Liara waved everyone into the evacuation shuttle, "Hurry! Quickly! Go!" and she jumped into one as another explosion hit the ship.

The communicators in the shuttle pods weren't very clear. With all the intercoms overlapping each other there were so many sounds, mostly of crying, yelling, a few hysterical screams. If one listened closely you could hear murmurings of comfort and some light sobs—

"Commander!" Joker's voice interrupted the sounds of grieving very clearly. There was the sound of an explosion, and then his voice screamed, "SHEPARD!"

Liara immediately began yelling into the intercom, "Joker! JOKER! Where is Shepard? Is she alright? JOKER!"

Then there was another large explosion, this time it didn't need to be heard over the intercom it could be felt by everyone in the floating space shuttles.

Liara was becoming hysterical, "SHEPARD!"

The coms were mainly silent now, if only for the sounds of muffled sobs and Liara calling for Joker and Commander Shepard.

When the Alliance ships came to rescue the Normandy crew it was a few hours later and surprisingly, once Liara had calmed down enough she was the one who was most silent and unmoving. She had been in a sitting position for hours with her hands covering her face anxiously waiting for news.

Everyone was being rushed into the medical bay, an asari doctor and her many assistants presiding over the unloading of the Normandy crew.

Liara was one of the first ones to get out and stood watch with Garrus and Tali waiting to see if there was any news of Shepard. Stubborn as she was Liara refused to go to the medical clinic to get checked over for injuries until she'd seen the last of the pods come through. As each of the pods was unloaded one by one and with no sign of Shepard with each passing pod Liara seemed to break a little more. Garrus and Tali did their best to comfort her.

The very last pod to reach the station. When the doctors opened the soldiers opened the pod they called over a multitude of doctors to preside over it, and it became heavily crowded.

Liara was shaking and her knees gave out underneath her so she crumpled to the ground her hands catching her fall just in time.

"Liara!" Tali's almost robotic voice rang out and immediately she and Garrus knelt to the ground beside her.

"I-I'm fine… I just need to see Shepard. I need to know she's alright." Liara's voice was as shaky; she needed to get to the medical bay soon so the doctors could check if she'd suffered any injuries.

"Maybe you should see to your injuries first." Garrus suggested.

"I said I was fine… Please, Garrus." Liara looked to the ground and then up to Garrus's face and then Tali's piteously.

Tali helped Liara up and let Liara lean against her for support and together they waited in silence for a few minutes just staring at the last shuttle.

Joker walked out uneasily with tears on his face as he was supported by doctors and he looked to Liara, Tali, and Garrus.

Liara convulsed and was already sobbing, her hands covering her mouth. Tali spoke up, her own voice ragged and not just from the impact of the attack on the Normandy. "Joker. What happened? Where is Shepard?"

The doctors interrupted, "You can continue this conversation after you've all been looked at. He has a lot of broken bones and that need to be attended -"

"Shit doc! I-I…" Joker's breath was just as ragged and tears started streaming down his face too, "She… she threw me into the escape shuttle and was going to get on herself, but one of the explosions threw her off… She grabbed on to a post, but managed to close the escape shuttle and then there was another explosion. Sh-she didn't make it into the last shuttl--"

The slap happened so fast Joker didn't even think to brace for it properly.

"Liara!" Tali was shocked.

"DON'T. Don't-don't say that!" Liara yelled at him, angry at Joker perhaps but still all too devastated, for all Joker's fragileness Liara's slap didn't even break anything or faze him. Her sobs grew harder. "Don't…."

FINI?