A/N: Thanks for the awesome reviews so far. They have really made my day. I havent been feeling up to par (Sickly I am), and so they made me smile and feel better. Thank you!

This chapter will focus on Liara's side of things. I figured since chapter 1 was in the view of Shepard that 2 should be in the view of Liara.

(Update): Once more I added a few things, corrected a few things... Anyways I think I might be working a new chapter after this one, hopefully being able to keep the original third chapter as a forth one.

Chapter 2

"Joker, we have to go." Garrus said as he gently gripped the pilot's shoulder. His voice was quiet, saddened by the idea of leaving behind his best friend behind. Katelyn was a hard woman to strangers, but if she let you in she was a fiercely loyal friend. She was there for the crew whether she realized it or not. She did so much for all of them.

Sounds of someone quickly approaching the cockpit were heard from down the long hall that connected with the CIC. "No! We can't leave her!" Liara cried out, ignoring the pain from her injuries back in London. Garrus quickly spun around, catching Liara in his arms, stopping her from fully reaching Joker's chair. Liara instantly thrashed against the Turian. "Let me go!" she yelled in anger.

Garrus shook his head as Joker merely watched from his seat. "Liara, we can't stay here, who knows what that thing could do to us at this range." Garrus insisted as gently as possible. Tears swelled in Liara's eyes as she glared in anger at the taller man. Katelyn trusted Garrus. He was one of her closest friends, how could he be so quick to abandon her?

"Joker, get us out of here, that's an order." Came Ashley's voice as she marched at a full stride down the hallway.

"No!" Liara cried out in both fear and anguish over everyone's willingness to leave the Commander behind. Joker looked and felt conflicted as he turned back to his monitors. He himself didn't know what to do. He didn't want to leave Shepard behind to die, again. He had lost her once and blamed himself for it for two years. How could he do it all over again?

"Damn it.." he then said as he reached out, laying in a course for the mass relay. Garrus was right.. Who knows what the crucible would do to the ship at a close range when it went off. They still weren't entirely sure it would stop the Reapers. He could only hope Shepard could forgive him. He could only pray she would make it out of this alive.

Liara broke out into heavy tears as she let out a sorrowful cry. "Katelyn!" she screamed as she practically fell into a heap in Garrus' arms. Joker's eyes closed tightly as he could hear the despair coming from Liara not but a few feet away as she continued to sob loudly. Her wails were probably heard all the way in the CIC.

Her vision blurred as the tears did nothing to help the cause as she clutched onto the Turian's arms tightly. His support was the only thing keeping her from collapsing into a ball on the floor. How could they just leave her there? How could they just leave without taking the chance to pick her up? Liara let out another grieved scream for her Spectre as the FTL drives kicked in, the Normandy taking off for the mass relay at the edge of the Sol System. She could not do this again, did not want to leave Katelyn behind.

Garrus looked up at the ceiling as all he could do was hold tightly onto the asari as her raw emotions hung bare for the galaxy to see. He didn't like abandoning Shepard any more then she did, but he knew she had to feel it worse then the rest of them. I'm sorry, Shepard. Save me that seat at the bar. He thought to himself as he could only hug the mourning asari tighter.

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It was mere luck the Normandy had barely escaped the energy wave let out by the crucible. It was luckier still that the Normandy crash landed on a planet that could support life. In one piece even. The crew came out of it mostly unharmed. A few bruises here and there, and a couple of sprained joints. Joker had done the best he could, and he managed to get the Normandy on the ground without much more harm then that.

After landing, the crew had all filed out of the ship, and out onto the planet. They were surrounded by a lush green forest, and greeted by hills and mountains with a sunny blue sky. The first picture of peace they've had since the Reapers arrived and began turning the galaxy upside down with chaos and destruction.

Liara had separated herself from the crew however. While everyone stood together in large numbers, she stood away, hugging herself, using the outer hull of the Normandy as a support structure. The only member of the crew that had not made it was Edi. Her mechanical body had shorted out just before the energy signature knocked them off course and onto this planet.

Joker himself seemed distant from the others as he sat onto a rock not too far from Liara. He had come to care for Edi a great deal. Liara had only witnessed it briefly herself, but Kate had brought it up to her a few times. Liara had let out a shaken sigh as she only held herself tighter at the thoughts of her bondmate.

You cannot be gone. Liara thought to herself. She refused to believe Kate had perished on the Citadel. She had to be out there, alive. Liara would not allow herself to believe Katelyn would abandon her so easily. You promised. Liara continued to think. Kate was never one to break promises. If she said she'd do something, she would do it.

Liara managed to glimpse up at Joker. He must have been feeling something similar. If she had understood what Kate had told her before, Joker and Edi were in a relationship as well. They were an odd pairing to some, but for those that knew both him and Edi they were perfect for each other. They worked.

Liara sniffled once as she pushed herself away from the ship as she slowly approached Joker. He was seated solemnly on a large rock, arms carefully folded on his lap, his gaze somewhere far away. Further than the planet's horizon even. Liara carefully sat herself next to the pilot as he seemed to snap away from his thoughts, glimpsing at Liara once before looking out ahead again.

From up on their rock they could see the gathered crew below. Some looked solemn, others looked relieved. Like it was their first moment of peace in what felt like a lifetime. For many it was their first moment at peace. For some the war ended with a high price. The galaxy was lesser with so many dead.

"I didn't want to leave her behind, you know..." Joker finally spoke up. Liara could only look down at her lap as her heart sank further than it already had. "If I could change it..." He continued as he himself looked down, his hands brushing away something on his pants. Or perhaps it was his way to keep himself busy.

Liara shook her head. "She wouldn't have allowed anyone else to do it." Liara said quietly. She then looked back up at Joker as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry, about Edi. I heard you two were... close." she spoke softly. Really she didn't have enough strength to speak any louder then this. She was drained of everything.

The moment they had decided to leave her behind... No, the moment Katelyn had left her behind in London, it was like feeling her soul shatter into pieces for a second time. Everything felt empty now. It was hard enough the first time she had lost Shepard but this time... She couldn't allow herself to think about it, Katelyn couldn't die on her again. Not like this. Not when it was all over and they could finally make a life for themselves.

Joker sighed. "Thanks." Was all he said before he carefully scooted himself off the rock and onto the spongy forest floor. He then slowly limped back towards the ship, not another word spoken. Liara could only hug herself once more as she looked up into the seemingly endless blue skies. Part of her felt guilty that she was selfishly thinking of the Spectre instead of consoling Joker... But part of her just didn't have what it took. Please be alive. Was all she could pray for.

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Days had passed. The Normandy crew had already began repairs on the ship. If they could at least get the Normandy repaired enough to get them back into space they could limp their way to a place where they could hopefully get better repairs before heading back to Earth. That was the current plan anyways. A bulk of the fleet was still there, not many ships were able to break away from the fight with the Reapers.

Liara had holed up in her room since the evening of their crash. She had withdrawn from everyone. She was rarely seen outside of her room. She had hardly eaten any food on top of it. It was up to Garrus to make sure she was getting the nutrition she needed. In a way he blamed himself for her condition. He was the one that stopped her from having any say in the matter of leaving the Sol System. He was just as much to blame for abandoning Shepard.

But he was also bound by duty to make sure Liara took care of herself. He owed it to Shepard, and to the asari. He and Shepard were good friends, and it was his way of making sure that the one thing that mattered most to Shepard would stay in one piece. Liara was also a friend, and as her friend he would make sure she would not let herself waste away.

But with every passing day Liara had grown more and more quiet. He had seen the mess she was shortly after the Collectors destroyed the first Normandy, but this was worse. Way worse. It was like she had given up on everything. But he would make sure she'd make it past the early stages of loss. Shepard would want her to live. Would want her to find happiness again. Liara might not see it now, but eventually, she would. Or at least he hoped.

He entered the room, in his taloned hand was a long metal strip. "Liara... It's starting." He spoke carefully. Liara stood from her chair slowly. She had changed out of her usual outfit that doubled as her armor, and into something different. She wore Shepard's N7 hoodie, and wore black slacks. Both were a bit loose on her. Garrus suspected that the pants belonged to Shepard as well. Perhaps it was Liara's way of comforting herself.

She slowly approached Garrus, as he reached out offering the metal strip to the silent asari. Liara took it carefully as she looked down at it. It read "Cdr Katelyn Shepard" on it's surface. It was a plaque for the wall. Liara quickly covered her mouth with one hand trying not to let a sob escape her. Garrus could see the struggle as Liara fought back the tears next.

She looked up to him, almost questioningly. "She could be alive..." Liara said in nearly a whisper. Garrus frowned, or it looked like a frown. He placed his three taloned hand onto the asari's shoulder giving a comforting squeeze. He knew she was taking this way harder than everyone else. But he had hoped this would help her start the healing process.

"Liara, the Crucible let off a large explosion..." he started. He wasn't sure how to finish what he wanted to say. He didn't want to hurt the asari, she was already hurting. "We don't know what happened. Long range comms are out, and until we find a way back to Earth... we have to assume the worse." he said as gently as possible.

Liara couldn't fight it anymore as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. Goddess don't let him be right. She silently prayed. You said you were always coming back.. She clutched the plague closer to her chest as she sniffled once, wiping her cheeks with her free hand. She then began to walk towards her doors, knowing that this was the service the crew wished to hold.

The doors to her room slowly hissed open, only resisting slightly. Some of the systems took some heavy damage during their crash. The door mechanics on this deck being one of them. She slowly marched forward, spotting the crew hovering around the memorial wall. James, Ashley, Tali, Joker, Javic, they were all there. Garrus patted her shoulder once before he joined the others.

Everyone looked to her expectantly as she once more looked down at the plague. She ran her fingers over Shepard's name slowly. She looked up to the memorial wall seeing a plaque for Anderson already there. "Why couldn't you have taken me with you?" She questioned out loud.

The others glimpsed to each other, Garrus only lowering his head at the words the asari spoke. He knew what she meant. Before departing London on Earth Liara told Shepard to not leave her behind. Liara was injured, bleeding pretty good, Shepard only did what she knew would keep Liara safe.

Liara slowly stepped forward, her hold on the plaque tightening even further. She stared at the empty spot on the wall, just above Anderson's name. She didn't know if she had it in her to hang the plaque. She looked down again, once more tracing Katelyn's name with her fingers. "Why did you have to leave me again?" Liara asked the name on the plague.

Tears once more slid down her cheeks, a few of them hitting the plaque. She slowly lifted her arms, as if to hang it up on the memorial. Mere inches away from the wall she stopped, staring hard at it. No, she couldn't do it. Katelyn was alive. She knew she was. She turned to face the others who only looked at her in confusion. "Liara, we all miss her, but..." Ashley started.

Liara glared angrily though. "I refuse to believe she is dead until I have proof!" Liara shouted in anger. The others gained a look of shock as they once more glanced looks at each other. Liara let out a frustrated sound as she quickly marched through them all and back to her room, effectively locking the door behind herself, never releasing the plaque in her hand.

She refused to acknowledge even the possibilities of her bondmate's death. Not until there was concrete evidence. She paced back and forth in her room. She could feel the anger of being abandoned start to swell within herself. She looked to her bedside table, two pictures sitting there next to her holo clock. One picture, a larger one, had everyone in it. It was the night they had all thrown a party at Shepard's newly acquired apartment. She looked at it more closely, the two of them sitting side by side on the couch, both looking to each other, smiling.

The other picture was more personal. Just the two of them. One of their few moments alone on the Citadel during the war. They had stopped at the Citadel to restock on supplies and Katelyn had stolen Liar away for some downtime. They sat on a bench on the Presidium, Kate's arm around Liara's shoulders as she leaned into the Commander. Both smiling. Some kind stranger took the picture for them.

She felt a sudden surge of emotions, anger mostly. Angry that Katelyn had left her behind. Again. "You had better be alive, Katelyn Shepard!" She cried out before collapsing onto her bed in defeat, hugging the plaque close to her chest as she once more began to cry.

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Ok, so, adding another chapter next. This just adds more detail, and doesnt skip around and tada they're back together. To me it just feels better to add more things to it. I want the time apart to be like a reflection, and there were things I just rushed through, wanting so badly to have Shepard and Liara reunited.

Hopefully these changes will just add flavor to the story. As always, until next time.