A/N: So I'm trying for longer chapters. I like it when other people post longer chapters, and then maybe I won't feel like I'm moving at a snail's pace, which I've been finding frustrating. I'm having fun with it, yes, but still - movement is required for a story to happen. Also, we're finally going to meet Liara. I agree with Theodur - it's high-time she and Shepard meet.

I wrote a good deal of this, and edited all of it, while high on cold medicine. I apologize for inevitable errors. But I couldn't wait - I wanted to post this morning.

One last thing. I get a little explicit in this chapter. There's no way around it, though - these women are slaves, one with a child by their master. Of course he's forcing them. So trigger warning - if you want to skip it, it's contained to the last section.

"So you're from Horizon?" Shepard sat with Adam bouncing on one knee, in the slaves' quarters. It was dark out, neither had work to complete, and, for the moment, it was just the three of them becoming acquainted in the room.

"Yes, I was raised there. But I went to University on Earth, at Oxford, and both my parents were from London – hence the accent."

"I was curious," Shepard admitted, a slight blush dancing across her cheeks.

"Most people who speak English are – I don't mind. It doesn't come through as much when I'm speaking Galactic, though." She grew silent, watching as Shepard stopped bouncing her son, watching as he leaned back against her, his eyes growing heavy, finally settling into a steady breathing pattern. "I'm so impressed with how good you are with him," she murmured.

Shepard looked down into his little, sleeping face, smiling. "I love kids. No one's minds are like theirs." Samantha could only agree. Shepard look up at Samantha, a curious look on her face. "Is he… Is his father…?"

She didn't need to hear the rest of the question. She just nodded, hanging her head a little in shame. "I never took birth control – why do that when you aren't interested in men?" Shepard's interest was piqued at this bit of information. "I stopped menstruating after only a couple of months here, and it became apparent that I was pregnant not long after. I've been here for almost five years, and I've been a mother for most of it. I…"

"Hey, you don't need to keep going. I'm sorry I brought it up."

"No, it's nice to have someone to talk to about it. I just need to watch what I say." She looked around a moment, then leaned forward, as if to kiss her son, and whispered, "The only place that's not monitored on this estate is the barn." She leaned back, staring into Shepard's face intently. Shepard nodded, just once, but it was enough so that Samantha knew she got the message, and the implicit invitation to talk more in the unmonitored area.

After a few moments of silence, Shepard spoke up again. "I grew up on a colony, too. My parents were farmers, but my uncle raised horses. I ended up spending most of my time with him." She shifted the boy in her arms, hoisting him so their chests faced, his head resting on her shoulder, her arms wrapped around him.

"So that's where you learned it all, then?"

"Yeah. I started helping him break the young ones, and started working for the richer people in the area who would buy horses for something pretty to have. Usually, you have to teach the owners a lot more than you have to teach the animals. I have a feeling it's gonna be the same here…" She was swaying gently now, rocking the boy, unconsciously cooing softly to him as he slept. It melted Samantha's heart.

"So, what did you do after you graduated?"

Samantha's attention refocused on Shepard's face. "Oh, well, the Alliance sent me to University because of my aptitude scores, so I spent my required service years working in Research and Development. Then I stayed – I liked the challenge. The only reason I'm here is because Horizon was raided while I was unlucky enough to be visiting my parents at home. Had they come to visit me on Earth instead… well, I imagine life would be very different right now…" She reached a hand out to caress her son's face. "It's not all bad, though."

Shepard remembered that raid. A little more than five years before, the biggest colony on the planet had been hit. People usually chose a colony life to get away from the Alliance, but that freedom's price was often that the colony had very little protection. A small militia or police force was usually standard in any colony, but those forces were nothing when up against a full raiding party of pirates or slavers. A similar raid was how she ended up in the Alliance instead of working her parents' farmlands, in fact. They rebuilt the colony – Mindoir – but it never was the same, at least for her. Instead of University or farming, she enlisted in the navy. They gave a decent education, though nothing as specialized as what Samantha had probably received, and she'd found she had a knack for getting in and out of a place undetected. She was a marine, yes, but was often given special assignments. She'd worked her way up quickly, now with a whole ship under her command (a ship she had stolen and given to the Alliance, even). But she often wondered what could have been.

Her reverie was broken by the appearance of an asari, dressed identically to Samantha. Liara walked gracefully into the room, all blue skin and white linen. She stopped when she realized who was in the room, however. Shepard noticed her first, becoming rigid on the edge of the bed, a million thoughts running through her head. Samantha noted where Shepard's gaze had fallen and turned to see her lover frozen just inside of the doorway.

"Liara," she said, a warm look settling into her features. "Come, meet my new friend, Lola."

Ash,

Well, I'm here. We started the job, but there isn't as much to it as I'd thought there would be. The horses are trained; we just need to train the people who will be riding them. Don't know when we'll be leaving yet, but I can see it on the horizon – gonna be needing a new job a whole lot sooner than I thought. And I've only been here a few days. Diego's enjoying himself, blissfully ignorant of the fact that this job isn't gonna last like he thought it would. Why let him know now, so he can mope around until we're done? Don't like to ruin his good mood.

Anyway, I hope everything's good out there. I'll make sure to visit first thing after this job is truly over.

Lola

The target had been acquired, the entire reason for the mission. Doctor Liara T'Soni, Prothean expert, and missing for the last ten years, ever since a Batarian slaver ring raided her dig site: she was the "property" that needed liberating. The human now in possession of her had been stupid enough to only purchase one asari, with very distinctive facial tattoos, and then show her off to his business partners. Word had gotten around over the last few years, and it had come to someone's attention that a certain human on a certain world owned an asari with eyebrows and freckles. Now Shepard was here to retrieve her.

The letter she just typed out made it clear that she'd made contact with the target, but that she didn't have an exit strategy just yet.

Shepard had been taken immediately. The holos of the woman hadn't done her justice, not really. She could have fallen into those beautiful blue eyes and been perfectly content to stay there. She'd introduced herself, just her first name, and come to sit next to Samantha. Shepard didn't even fully recall what they'd spoken of, so taken was she. And it wasn't all directed at the asari, either. She'd been attracted to Samantha from the moment she'd laid eyes on her, as well. And it had only deepened as she'd gotten to know the woman a little, played with her son, watched her make meals and clean the kitchen. Seeing the two women sit together, talking about Adam and each other, made it clear to Shepard that they were involved in some way. She couldn't imagine how complicated that might be, given that they were probably both regularly summoned to their owner's bed. The thought made her seethe.

As she tapped the command to send the message, she made a silent promise to get all three of them out. It might make it more difficult, but she would do it, somehow.

"If you want, I can keep him out of your hair."

Samantha was struggling with Adam tugging on her skirt. He was bored, but Samantha had work that needed to be done. The boy's father would be returning that day, and the house must be immaculate for his arrival. As must I, she thought acidly to herself.

"Really, I can watch him, tire him out some. I really don't mind – not much to do today, anyway, with the boss coming back. I'll make sure to get him back inside by the time the shuttle arrives." And without waiting for Samantha to answer, Lola disentangled Adam's hand just like she had that first time and scooped the boy up, carrying him outside like a sack of potatoes, squealing and giggling the entire way. Samantha's heartbeat had quickened at the woman's nearness, and she couldn't help but watch her, clad in leather chaps as she was, disappear through the door.

Preparing the house took longer than usual. She was distracted, both by Lola, and by the impending arrival of her master. She could never think that term without it dripping venom. Liara could sense her distraction, of course; she was herself dreading the return of the man who had purchased her four years before. He would invariably ignore them, unless something was out of place, and then require both of their presence in his bedroom once the sun had set. At least they had had the opportunity to be with just each other the night before. It was small consolation at the moment, but they both would take what comfort they could with something so demoralizing awaiting them at the end of their day.

Liara hadn't said anything, but she had sensed Samantha's growing attraction to Lola through the Joining. It was the only unique gift of hers that the collar did not block, though Liara kept this information hidden, sharing the gift only with Samantha. They'd Joined the night before while lying naked, one atop the other, in the barn, a blanket spread to keep the hay from going where hay should really never go. She sensed Samantha's preoccupation with the other woman, but she was not jealous – jealousy was not an emotion one lived with long in her current situation. Besides, she herself found the woman to be intriguing, having run into her several times since their initial introduction. They never talked for very long, but she always felt like the woman would treat any partner well, and the way she spoke to her made her feel, well, like she was being flirted with – very politely.

She found her green eyes to be particularly captivating. The paleness of her skin, as well, so very different from Samantha's, made her wish to touch the woman. Her easy, joking demeanor, her clear adoration for Adam, the thoughtfulness behind her eyes – all made Liara wish to know the woman better. So she was not jealous. She would like to discuss it, of course, Samantha's attraction, as well as her own. She was not averse to sharing the woman, and she knew both their hearts were big enough to cherish more than one person at a time. Monogamy was a popular enough idea throughout the intergalactic community, but the concept of polyamory was also relatively common, especially among asari maidens. Of course, going that far was going much too far. She was a slave, unable to freely engage in sexual or romantic activities. And so far all she felt was an attraction – what was she doing thinking about deeper emotions? Surely one does not build these deeper emotions based on insubstantial conversation and one-sided flirting?

The two slaves finished cleaning the house just in time for the arrival of the shuttle. Lola came running in carrying a very dusty little boy asleep in her arms, Diego and Baxter following them. She apologized profusely before handing him off. Samantha put him in bed, figuring that would be better than dealing with a tired, cranky little boy, and quickly changed into clothing that had not had all the dust that was clinging to her son transferred to it. When she returned, she found everyone already lined up outside. She cursed silently and joined them, adding herself to the line of downcast slaves just as the shuttle landed. The owner of the estate stepped out, looked over the line of slaves once, then stepped past them to the line of his actual employees.

The man had white skin and dark brown hair that was beginning to show gray. He was otherwise rather nondescript, except that he was impeccably precise in the way he was dressed and groomed. His beard and hair were perfectly trimmed and styled, not one hair out of place. It made Shepard want to puke.

She stood next to James, Baxter sitting politely at her feet, with the other employees of the estate. She hadn't had much of a chance to meet anyone except Samantha, Liara, and Steve, and she hadn't spent any time talking with the paid employees at all. She was learning how few people managed the estate, though – just the three slaves, and maybe twenty staff, mostly security. The security mainly guarded a building way off in the distance, where she suspected the man did the illegal activities she knew he was apart of, and one was always at the house, making sure things were in order. Their presence kept the three slaves in line. The lack of numbers here would work to her advantage. She wasn't sure how, yet, but she was sure that it would be part of her strategy.

The man approached her and James and examined them. Shepard withdrew her hat a little, tipping it to him and making the slightest of bows, more of a head-nod, really. "Good afternoon, sir. I'm Lola, the trainer you hired for those beautiful horses." She held out a hand to shake and gestured over her shoulder at the corral with the other. The horses walked around it, grazing here and there, the stallion off in his own area, well away from the mares.

The man just eyed her, appraising her like a piece of property, not taking her hand. She reluctantly lowered it, her eyes hardening. Fine, you wanna play like that? I'm gonna take your most valued prize away from you, and you won't know what hit you. He walked past them and into the house, not saying a word. The three slaves rushed forward to retrieve his things, the security detail dispersing to their previous tasks. Shepard retired to the guest wing, where she and James shared their room. She kicked off her boots and stretched before throwing herself on the bed.

"So," said James, copying her moves. "That's Henry Lawson, huh?"

Shepard sighed. "Yep, that's him."

Neither of them needed to say aloud what that meant.

Two Months Ago…

Miranda Lawson tried desperately not to fidget. She didn't like answering so many questions about her past, but this was the only way she could save her sister and be free to ensure her safety. Cerberus had done her very little good, always holding the girl's safety over her head to ensure her cooperation, as their experiments had gotten more and more grotesque. When she'd recognized Shepard on one of her missions, infiltrating her ship to get to Cerberus' most prized test subject, she'd taken the opportunity to work with her instead of reporting her, and in the end, they'd stolen the most sophisticated ship built by human hands and Cerberus' precious biotic test subject. In addition, Miranda was free of Cerberus, and the ship would be making a pit stop on the way home to retrieve Oriana and her family before Cerberus could retaliate. She'd turned herself into the Alliance when they got back to Earth, and the questioning had not stopped since. Oriana was safe, though, and if Miranda was going to now work for the Alliance, then they needed to know as much about her involvement with Cerberus as they could. She understood, but she still didn't like it.

She looked up as the investigators in front of her stopped their conversation, looking to the door into the interrogation room. Commander Shepard had walked through it, dressed like any other marine, in fatigues and a short-sleeved navy blue shirt, her chin-length red hair down and tucked behind her ears, a data pad in her hand. She dismissed the investigators, leaving Miranda alone in the room with her.

"Alright, Miranda, so here's the deal I've worked out. Your father is in possession of something that I need to retrieve. The deal is, you help me infiltrate, get me in and out with the target, and you walk. Do a good enough job, and when you enlist, I'll request that you serve with me, instead of getting stuck in some lab." She stopped talking for a moment and leaned against the table in front of Miranda, a smirk on her face.

"What kind of information do you need?" She looked up into Shepard's face, recognizing the lopsided grin there. She trusted the woman, in a way she had never been able to trust a person ever in her life, and would gladly give her all the information on her father that she needed. The bastard could die for all she cared.

"I need everything. I need to know how often the man takes a shit. I need to know what kind of depraved things he does to his slaves in bed. I need to how to disrupt his security, how many employees he keeps, who he does business with. I need to know so much about him that I could drive him crazy if I wanted to. Can you do that for me?"

Miranda smiled with not one hint of mirth. "Yes, Commander, I believe I can do that for you."

"Love, we need to talk," said Liara. She came up behind Samantha, wrapping her arms around her and rocking her as they stood in the middle of the room they shared with Steve, mysteriously absent at the moment. Adam lay asleep in his mother's bed.

"I asked him if Adam could have a puppy for his birthday," said Samantha, leaning back into the asari, reveling in the comfort after her ordeal. Her ordeal, which had become customary, if not relished. She tried hard not to think about it, about his body on top of hers, her clothing pushed aside to provide access to only those parts of her that were strictly necessary, about him shuddering to a finish just as her body began to react positively. She always felt absolutely filthy when he was done with her, gratefully slipping out of his bed as he fell asleep and going to wash herself as thoroughly as possible after ensuring another pregnancy would not take. He didn't have any depraved ideas, at least, but she'd never been interested in men in the first place. Having to go to Henry Lawson's bed was utterly insulting.

"What did he say," Liara asked, letting her change the subject for now.

Samantha laughed a short, dark laugh. "He ignored me and shoved me onto the bed," she replied. She remembered his hands roughly fondling her, pushing her face into the sheets, lifting up her hips several centimeters, just enough to lift her skirt. She remembered the feeling of lubricant being spread on her before he roughly pushed inside of her, huffing away behind her, making no other sounds. Her body traitorously responding to the physical sensations, adding its own lubricant, blood rushing to engorge her flesh just as he pumped away to his finish. The thought of allowing herself to become pregnant again had crossed her mind, accompanied by the thought that it would at least keep him off of her for nine months or so. That's what had happened with her pregnancy with Adam, anyway – he did not wish to bed a pregnant or breastfeeding woman. But he had Liara now, and likely wouldn't leave her alone if Samantha became pregnant again, and she simply could not do that to her lover.

Liara tightened her embrace. They had both gone to his bedroom door, but only Samantha had been summoned. Liara had gone back to the slaves' bedroom to make sure Adam was asleep, and to wait for Samantha's return. She knew how much Samantha detested this part of the night. It wasn't every night, but it was always like this, for both of them – they were pieces of meat, to be used. She wished she knew how to break out of the collar, not for the first time. She could destroy him so quickly, and there would be nothing left which could be identified, not after everything he had done to them. She promised herself that one day she would, and she would get Samantha and Adam out of there.

"What did you want to talk about?" Samantha turned in her embrace, leaning back enough to look into Liara's face.

"Oh, it can wait," she said, looking away. Now really wasn't the time to discuss their mutual attraction to someone else.

"On the contrary," Samantha replied, a smile quirking her lips as she reached up to turn Liara's face back toward her own. "I'd rather like something else to think about."

"I, well… Last night, during the Joining," Liara began, relishing the smile coaxed out of Samantha at the reminder. "During the Joining, I noticed something, and I thought we should talk about it."

"What did you notice?"

"Y-You're attracted to the new woman, to Lola," she got out, finally. She may have far more experience now than she'd ever had before, but talking about anything related to sex aloud had always been an awkward thing for her. Truly, it was amazing she had ever kissed Samantha in the first place. Samantha immediately blushed and looked away, giving one tiny nod. "I am, too, Samantha." This snapped Samantha's head to face hers again.

Samantha laughed quietly. "Well, imagine that. We both have a crush on the same woman." Her mirth subsided, a look of concern in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Liara. I was never going to do anything about it, I just think she's attractive…"

"You mistake me, Samantha," said Liara, kissing her cheek and pulling her back into a hug. "I think that, if the opportunity presents itself, you should act on it. You get so little opportunity for pleasure," she said, pulling back again. "I would hate to see you throw an opportunity away because of me. Besides, it's not like the woman will be here forever – it would be a fling, a distraction. And I know your heart – it is big enough to care for more than just me."

Samantha considered her for a moment. She knew from their melds that her cultural viewpoint on such things was different from most humans'. It was part of why asari maidens had a (false) reputation for being promiscuous – there was not the cultural pressure to settle down, or to limit oneself to one partner. Monogamy was common once an asari decided to become a mother, though that was only a relatively recent thing in their history, probably brought on by the push away from mating with other asari. She finally spoke. "Yours is big enough, as well. Are you encouraging what I think you are?"

Liara shrugged, a decidedly human gesture. "Why not? We should be very careful, but as I said, there is so little opportunity for pleasure, for fun, in our current situation. And I know you love me. I will not be jealous if you were to pursue her. And I do not think you would jealous if I acted on her clear interest, either."

"I think you're right," Samantha said. She was surprised to realize that she was right – if Lola wanted Liara more than her, she would not be jealous. She knew Liara loved her, and that she wanted her. And the idea of having fun, as opposed to the angst-filled romance that was her relationship with Liara, was appealing. But that's not what she wanted right at the moment – she needed comfort. "For tonight, though, be with me here?" Liara nodded, smiling, her eyes swirling to black, her mind reaching out to soothe the hurt caused by the father to the woman's child.