Shepard stared at the burning building at Dracon Trade Center in disbelief. He couldn't believe it had just blown up in front of them. The reality then slapped him in the face and he found his voice.

"Liara's in there!" He yelled.

He wanted to make sure Liara was okay but he also wanted an explanation for the blue blood on her floor. Was Leah there? Was she in trouble? Was she in the building that just blew up in front of him with Liara? So many things were running through his head.

"This... is problematic." Thane stared at the destruction bringing Shepard back out of his racing thoughts.

"We have to go find her!" Garrus shouted over the screaming civilians.

"They just took out three floors to make sure she's dead!" Vasir stared. "I'll grab the skycar and seal off the building from the top!"

"I'll start down here snd work my way up." Shepard began running toward the building.

"Just save some for me!" Vasir smiled.

The three man ran up the steps as Vasir pulled away in the skycar.

"Do you think Leah is in there?" Garrus asked. "The blue blood on Liara's floor had to be her."

"I don't know, Garrus. I hope they are both okay."

"Are you talking about Leahala Vail?" Thane asked.

Shepard and Garrus stopped and looked at Thane.

"You know Leah?" They asked together.

"Of course. She was trained at the same facility I was. It has been years since I've seen her."

They were walking through the charred building looking for a way upstairs.

"She was..." Shepard began then stopped.

"She helped us stop a rogue Spectre and a Reaper over 2 years ago."

"I remember getting letters from her. She was very fond of you." Thane put his hand on Shepard's shoulder. "But the letters stopped and I began hearing rumors about her. Terrible things she was doing... as if trying to get killed. She is way too controlled for that type of thing. You must have meant more to her than I thought."

"She wrote you letters?" Garrus asked. "You must have known her well."

"For a few years I taught at the Hanar Facility. She was one of the best I trained. I'm sad to admit that she is a better assassin than I am."

"Come on." Shepard didn't want to talk about her anymore. "Let's go find them."

...w...

Vasir was a trader and Shepard wanted to take her out. Seeing Liara alive and well made him happy but he had an anger within him that bursted. Leah wasn't here and Vasir could probably tell him where she was. He let out an angry yell and ran toward Vasir, tackling her. Together they both rolled out of the third floor window.

"Shepard!" Garrus and Thane yelled.

They fought all the way down until Vasir kicked him away and he hit the ground hard knocking the wind out of him. Liara jumped out of the window after them and left Shepard on the ground, running after Vasir.

When Shepard was able to breathe again, he rolled over and tried to stand but couldn't. He was in a lot pain so he rolled back over and stared up from where he fell. He had no idea how many feet he fell but his body let him know it was too far. Garrus and Thane ran up helping him to his feet.

"Shepard, are you okay?" Garrus asked.

"Yea..." He grunted.

"Liara ran after Vasir through there." Thane pointed.

The conversation was quickly over as a wave of the Shadow Broker's men showed up and began shooting at them.

"We have to get to Liara!" Shepard yelled.

"We're going as fast as we can!" Garrus popped his empty clip.

After taking those men out they ran to the roof as Vasir was flying away in a skycar.

...w...

Vasir was finally down. Shepard walked up to her without his gun drawn hoping to get some information from her.

"You're dead." Vasir struggled to speak. "The Shadow Broker has been in power for decades. He's stronger than anything you've ever faced!"

"Is that why you sold out the Council to work for him?" Shepard knelt down to be eye to eye with her.

"You think I betrayed the Council? Like Saren? Go to hell! The Broker has given me damn good intel over the years. Intel that saved lives and kept the Citadel safe! So if the Broker needs a few people to disappear, I'll pay the price without hesitation."

"Spectres don't blow up buildings filled with innocent people!" Shepard yelled.

Garrus, Thane, and Liara had stayed back to allow Shepard to speak to Vasir alone but with him yelling, Garrus took a few steps to be closer.

"You want to judge me! What about your platoon on Akuze? And you're with Cerberus!"

"I know who they are and what they've done."

As Shepard and Vasir spoke Liara was going through the data drive. She had to get to the Shadow Broker and she also had to tell Shepard that Leah was in his hands because of her. How was she going to him that? Leah could be dead. She was crafty but this was the Shadow Broker with unlimited resources.

"Your girlfriend is getting a taste of the Broker's hospitality... for y-your... sins!"

Vasir then died before Shepard could ask her any more questions. He stood more angry than he has been in a long time because she mentioned Leah.

"Shepard, I have the coordinates. We have to..." Liara began.

"How did the Shadow Broker get Leah?!" Shepard shouted.

"If we..."

"Liara!" Shepard barked making her jump.

"S-she showed up to see me today..."

"Today!? What happened?!"

"She showed up...then the agents began shooting. She made me leave and gave herself to the Broker ...to ensure I got away."

"Her blood..." Garrus stepped closer and began.

"A bullet grazed her but she was fine. I have the coordinates to the base."

"Where the hell is that base?! We're going there now!"

...w...

Leah had burn marks all over her body, she was bleeding from several wounds, but she kept breaking out of her restraints. The Shadow Broker's men put up a force field that shocked her every time she tried to get through it. Suddenly after shouting and gun fire the power flickered and went out. The Shadow Broker's men stood with their eyes wide, scared. Leah gave them no shot to think, she killed them with her hands easily and without a second thought.

As the men hit the ground dead, Leah leaned against the wall and followed it to the floor where she sat. She was so exhausted and in pain. She stood and saw her reflection in a computer screen that was off. She had bruises covering most of her left eye with a long cut curving around it, still dripping blood onto her chest. Both her lips on her right side were busted open and swollen and dried blood from her nose. There was an anger that built suddenly, she was going to find the Shadow Broker and kill him.

Leah turned then ran out the door and down the hallway wanting to do nothing but kill the Shadow Broker. She ran through several corridors and every guard she found she would torture them until she was given the Broker's location. She kept running until she came upon a large door that she was told was the Shadow Broker's room. She balled up energy in her fist and Nova'd the door off it's hinges.

Liara spun as a door flew passed almost knocking her over and gasped seeing Leah standing behind where the door used to sit. She looked up and down Leah's body, her tank top was ripped and soaked in blood, her pants were ripped and dirty. She must have gone through hell. But Leah wasn't looking at Liara, she was staring at the man fighting the Yaug. Her Shepard.

"Leah!" Liara yelled.

Shepard looked back at the name and was forcefully knocked back rolling into Liara. Both of them hit the ground hard but Shepard stood quickly with his eyes focused on Leah.

Their eyes met for a second before, Leah ran in tackling the Yaug toppling them over. Shepard helped Liara get back up on her feet without being attacked because Leah was fighting the Broker hard. Seeing Shepard again, really seeing him, made many questions run through her head but all she could think about was distracting the Yaug long enough for them to get up.

"Leah..." He finally was able to find his voice.

"If you can get him to bring up that shield again, I've got an idea!" Liara called to him yanking his arm.

"Okay." He agreed.

Leah was knocked back and hit the pillar hard. She groaned and rolled behind where Shepard and Liara stood.

"Gun!" She held a hand out to him. "Where is the Broker?"

"You're looking at him." Shepard nodded at the Yaug.

"Are you kidding?!"

"No. We need to keep firing at him until he brings up his force field." Liara added.

"Okay."

He handed her his heavy pistol and they both began firing at the Shadow Broker. When the Broker brought his shield back up Shepard and Leah stopped firing and ran over to attack but instead, they rolled out of the way on opposite sides.

"Liara now!" Shepard yelled.

But as he yelled the Broker came close to him. Leah instinctively panicked and wanted to protect the man she loved and was there to yank the Broker back under the field as Liara brought it down.

"No!" Shepard yelled seeing Leah under with the Broker.

But it was too late. As the force field exploded around them and all went silent. Garrus sat up on his elbows and looked around confused. Shepard walked up to the dead Broker and looked for his love, but he didn't see her.

"Leah?" Garrus asked as he slowly stood.

Shepard spun so quickly he almost tripped over the lump of Yaug. Leah was leaning against a pillar close to them, looking very beaten and bloody. Garrus ran to her and hugged her tightly looking over her wounds and fussing at her for the silence between them.

"You disappeared!"

"I'm sorry..."

"No! We were supposed to stay together and you...you just..." He squeezed her tighter.

She groaned in pain but smiled sweetly because she was missing Garrus very much too. But her attention was focused on the man behind Garrus. She patted him on the mandible and stared at Commander Shepard. Shepard kept staring at her as he walked slowly up to her and pushed Garrus aside gently wanting to see her.

"Leah," He looked at her wounds then went to reach for her.

She immediately swatted his hands away and stared at him as if he was the most disgusting thing to her. Tears were pouring down her face as she stared at him but her face remained emotionless. She saw her Shepard behind all those scars but was it really him?

"Leah?" Garrus was confused. "...it's him."

"How do we know that? How can we trust that Cerberus brought my Shepard back?" She hissed swaying back and forth.

Shepard opened his mouth to say something but Leah then collapsed to the floor into his arms.

"Joker," Shepard yelled into his comm. "...tell Doctor Chakwas we're headed to her with an emergency!"

Shepard scooped her limp body into his arms and they walked to the Normandy, leaving Liara behind to assume the Shadow Broker responsibilities. His face had a pained look attached fearing that he finally found her only to have lost her. The love of his life wanted nothing to do with him because of Cerberus.

...w...

As the Normandy left Liara and the Shadow Broker ship heading to Tuchanka, Shepard's mood was yet again grim. After a shower he laid down on his bed and tried to get some sleep. He knew it would probably not happen because Leah was finally back on the Normandy but as he laid there thinking, he fell asleep a lot faster than he expected.

After a terrible dream Shepard awoke covered in sweat. He glanced at the clock on the table next to him, it had been three hours. He sat up and put his legs over the side of his bed and sighed loudly rubbing his temples. As his eyes adjusted to the dark he saw a silhouette.

"Lights." He barked grabbing his sidearm.

The lights revealed Leah sitting on his coffee table holding a datapad. He stared at her and he stood slowly. He was in his boxer briefs and her eyes ran down the body she knew so well, he had several new scars but it was still him and the body she missed.

"People don't come back from the dead." She said flatly.

"I know." He walked a few steps closer and stood. "I understand your hesi..."

"Do you?" She interrupted. "If I died and came back," She stood. "...with Cerberus..."

"I know." He let his frustration finally show. "I don't want to work with them but the Council won't help. This threat is real and Cerberus can give me the resources we need to stop the Collectors."

"Garrus and Jacob told me. I get it..." Leah waved the datapad at him. "I also saw the Quarian's footage."

"I would never willingly work with them unless it was for good reason. Deep down I know you know this."

"I've also been reading about Project Lazarus and Doctor Chakwas' secret scans of you..." Her voice trailed off.

"Secret scans?" Shepard was taken by surprise.

"They all say it's you. I've watched you fight and you fight like you. You talk like you..."

"What secret scans?"

"You look like you." She ignored his question.

"It's me, Leah. I'm still the man I was 2 years ago. Every day all I could think about was finding you."

She clenched her jaw and stared at him. She walked to where he stood and walked around him, examining his body. She reached up and ran the tips of her fingers down his jaw line, between his abs, and looked back up at him. A tear slipped and slid down her cheek but his thumb was there to catch it, like always. He grabbed either side of her face and moved the hair from her battered face.

"I understand your hesitation..." He whispered tenderly. "...but it's me."

"You'll understand...that I need some time to..." She stopped.

"I get it." He did understand.

"I'll be in the crew quarters. I'm ready to fight when you need."

Leah didn't want to leave his touch but knew if she didn't leave now, she would never leave. But before she could turn to leave, Shepard leaned in slowly and kissed her softly. He moved slow enough to give her a chance to stop him but she didn't want to. Her eyes stayed open for a moment considering what was happening but his familiar and intoxicating taste took over her senses. She wrapped her arms around his neck because she wanted to devour him, she missed his lips and kiss more than air. They kissed so deeply and passionately that both their bodies came to life. She held onto his shoulders from under his arms as if she was going to fall and his left arm wrapped around her shoulders and right holding onto the small of her back. She forgot how massive he felt with her arms wrapped around him and he forgot how tiny she felt in his arms.

Shepard thought he was going to burst he was so happy Leah was in his arms again. He was so elated that he was not expecting her to suddenly move her arms and grip her hands together behind his neck. Quickly and roughly she spun him by his neck and toss him onto the couch. She was still standing, a right hand over her heart, and breathing heavily staring at him as if she wanted to kill him. He was back on his feet within seconds standing inches from her. She placed the hand that was on her chest, onto his chest. She was trying to keep it still but he could feel her hand trembling uncontrollably.

"Not yet..." She panted. "I don't know if it's you." She tried not to but she began to sob.

"Leah..." He wanted to argue and comfort her.

"I need time."

Leah then left his room quickly leaving Shepard standing there helpless.