This follows immediately after the end of my ME1 story, Beginnings and will (mostly) follow the events of ME2 but, as with Beginnings, I plan to take some liberties with the details. It is the continuing story of Shepard and Liara. Their story will be the focus but we will find time to deal with the Collectors too.

*Warning- might be a bit too much romantic angst and mush so tread carefully if you don't like that sort of thing.*

I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading and please review, comment or question if you feel so inclined.

Bioware owns it all.

Chapter 10

Miranda was still agitated from the argument with Liara and, for the first time in many years, questioning herself. She unconsciously raised her hand to her aching jaw. She never expected Liara to fight back with her fist rather than her biotics and, despite getting her ass handed to her; she had a new respect for the woman. From the beginning, Miranda had agreed with the Illusive Man about the need to keep Shepard away from Dr. T'Soni. They felt she would be a distraction to Shepard who needed to keep her focus on the Collectors and not some lost lover found again. Unfortunately, they had underestimated the depth of the relationship between the two women. After working with T'Soni to recover Shepard's body, Miranda believed that Liara was more invested in the relationship than Shepard and was possibly caught up in a case of hero worship. It never crossed her mind that Shepard felt as strongly about Liara. Earlier in the day, when Miranda realized they were going to the Citadel, she had contacted the Illusive Man who put plans in place to remove T'Soni from the ship once they reached the Citadel. After her argument with Liara, she was more certain that Liara needed to go. Then, Shepard paid her a visit and she realized what a terrible mistake they had made in assuming that removing T'Soni from Shepard's life would work to their advantage. Miranda shook her head at her stupidity. She had actually told Shepard that not only was Liara a distraction to her but now that she had threatened the XO and stolen classified Cerberus data, she needed to be removed from the ship. Shepard's angry eyes bored into her and in an icy voice, she told Miranda that if Liara was off the ship then she was off the ship. She made it very clear that Liara was and always would be her top priority. Since Shepard left, Miranda had been pacing in her cabin, debating with herself about the wisdom of the plan they had to remove Liara. Now that they were docking, she had to decide.

"Damn it." Miranda opened a secure communication channel with the Illusive Man, tapping her fingers on her desk as she waited impatiently for him to respond.

"What is it Miranda?"

"Sir, I think it would be a mistake to remove T'Soni from the ship. If something happens to her, Shepard won't stop until she finds her; the Collectors will be forgotten." Miranda then told him about the afternoon's events. He listened, his face growing angry as Miranda told him about Liara taking the data.

"We will talk about why you allowed a security breach later, Miranda." He cut the communication, leaving Miranda feeling unsure of herself and alone.

TTTTTTTTTT

Shepard left Anderson's office feeling frustrated and angry. The Council, once again, brushed off her warnings and refused to help with the Collectors. As a consolation prize to send her on her way, they reinstated her Spectre status. Anderson promised to do what he could to change their minds but Shepard had no illusions about how far he would get with them. She was in this fight with Cerberus as her only ally. She had found a nice quiet place to have dinner with Liara but wanted to do a few things before they met. She would first pay a visit to the Consort. She sent a message to Liara telling where and when to meet. She smiled thinking about Liara trying to convince Jack to wear more clothes. Jack would not take kindly to the idea. Although, Shepard had noticed that Jack was more reserved around Liara and she had come to the conclusion that Jack had a little crush on her which Shepard definitely understood. Liara was intelligent, beautiful and she cared about people. And she loves me. Worthy or not, she loves me and we belong to each other.

TTTTTTTTTT

The man stood over the still bodies of Liara and Jack, his eyes roaming the area to make sure he hadn't been seen. The voice on the other end of his comm unit was getting louder with each word. His orders had been simple; incapacitate anyone with the Asari causing as little injury as possible. He was then supposed to take the Asari to a warehouse and leave her with whoever he found there. Now, his employer was yelling because he had been so quick to make his move. Apparently, he should have known that the job would be called off and refrained from doing what he was being paid to do.

Jameson lowered his voice when the yelling stopped and asked, "What do you want me to do with them now?"

The Illusive Man was furious and he blamed Miranda for all of it. She had waited until the last possible minute to inform him that taking T'Soni would not be in their best interest. He had immediately contacted Jameson only to learn that he had already started the job. "Take anything valuable they have and leave them. If we're lucky, they will think it was a just a robbery. Go to the warehouse as planned. You will be paid by the Cerberus operative you find there."

Cerberus? Shit. The man took anything of value he found from the two women and left them lying on the docks. They would eventually wake up or be found. By then, he would be long gone. He would have never taken the job if he had known it was Cerberus paying him.

TTTTTTTTTT

After meeting with the Consort, Shepard found Kasumi Goto who was probably settling in on the Normandy by now. She also did just a little shopping for herself and Liara. She was now at the restaurant waiting for Liara who was 15 minutes late and had not responded to Shepard's call. Liara was only 15 minutes late and Shepard knew that she shouldn't panic but she was starting to feel anxious. She contacted Joker who told her that Liara left with Jack about an hour after she left for her meeting with Anderson and they had not returned to the Normandy. She instructed Joker to contact her if Liara or Jack returned. She continued her attempts to contact Liara for a few minutes then left the restaurant to start searching, deciding the shopping district would be the best place to start. She contacted Garrus and asked him to start searching from the Normandy's location taking the most direct route to the shopping district. He was a C-Sec Officer for years and knew the Citadel better than anyone else she could call on for help. Shepard had grown progressively more worried as the minutes passed and she couldn't find Liara. As she started to enter yet another shop, her comm unit buzzed in her ear. It was Garrus.

"Garrus, did you find them?"

"Yes, both unconscious."

Shepard took off at a run. "Is Liara okay? Where are they?"

"I think they're both okay. We're taking them back to the Normandy now."

Shepard increased her speed. "Garrus, don't leave her side. I'm on my way."

Faster than should have been possible, Shepard reached the Normandy and was racing through the corridors to get to the med bay. When she charged through the door, every head turned her way. Garrus had a look of disbelief on his face.

Shepard saw Dr. Chakwas bent over Liara who was on a bed at the back of the room. As she approached, she saw dried blood covering the side of Liara's face.

"Is she okay? What the hell happened?" Shepard moved to the other side of the bed, took Liara's hand and bent forward to kiss her forehead.

Dr. Chakwas gently pushed her away. "Commander, you need to move back so I can do my job."

Shepard stepped back but kept a tight hold on Liara's hand. "Is she okay?"

"Her vitals are normal. She has quite a bump on her head although the cut isn't deep. It will need stitches though." Dr. Chakwas looked up from examining Liara's head to see the fear in Shepard's eyes. "She will be fine, Shepard."

Shepard visibly relaxed at Dr. Chakwas' words. She looked over to see one of the medical crew hovering around Jack. "What about Jack?"

"She will be fine as well. There was a small dart embedded in the back of her neck, filled with a liquid. It appears to release whatever it contains in increments. I believe it is a sedative. Mordin is analyzing it now."

"Who would hit Jack with a time-released sedative? Garrus, did you find anything in the area?"

"Nothing but I didn't look closely. I wanted to get them back here. I'll head back now to take a look. I did notice that the necklace Liara normally wears is missing." Shepard looked down and saw that Liara's necklace was indeed missing. It was a gift from her mother and she never took it off. Liara would be upset.

"You think this was a simple robbery?"

"I would have if that dart hadn't been stuck in Jack. I think someone wanted one or both of them...they could have been interrupted before they could move them."

"If whoever did this was interrupted, then why were Liara and Jack just left there?"

"I don't know, Shepard. I found them behind some large crates that were stacked by a transport ship. It's possible they were hidden from view. Let me go take a look. I'll let you know what I find."

"Thanks Garrus." Shepard stood by Liara's bed holding her hand as Dr. Chakwas finished with the stitches.

"I will release her when she wakes up unless there are unforeseen medical concerns."

"What medical concerns? You said she would be fine."

"Relax, Commander. She will be fine but if she is confused or has memory loss, I will want to keep her here for another day or two." Dr. Chakwas pulled a chair to the bed for Shepard then went to check on Jack.

Shepard sat by the bed, Liara's hand in hers, thinking about the attack on Liara in Illium and today's attack. They had assumed it was the Shadow Broker but Shepard was questioning that assumption. How would the Shadow Broker know they would be at the Citadel unless there was a traitor aboard the Normandy which was a big possibility. Other than Liara, Garrus, Joker and Dr. Chakwas, Shepard didn't know the crew and didn't trust them. They were all Cerberus. It was also possible that the attack had nothing to do with Liara and everything to do with Jack. That thought opened up a whole new world of possibilities.

TTTTTTTTTT

When Miranda walked into the med bay and saw Shepard sitting by Liara's bed, head bent to Liara's ear, she almost felt guilty about the part she played in the attack. She had always had a great deal of respect for Shepard and today, she had realized that there was much more to Liara than she had known. Now that she had a better understanding of their relationship, she had regrets about the actions she had taken against Liara. She would need to change her tactics if she was going to earn Shepard's trust and have any influence over her. She also realized that Liara was right about the two of them needing to, at the very least, be civil to each other if they were going to work together to stop the Collectors.

"Shepard?"

Shepard turned, not sure what to expect from Miranda after what happened between her and Liara earlier in the day. "Miranda?"

"How is she?"

"Dr. Chakwas says that she will be fine."

"Shepard, I'm sorry about what happened earlier…with Liara. She was right and I should have just given her the Lazarus Project data. I should have given it to you before she asked for it. Would you let her know when she wakes up?"

"Thanks, Miranda. I think you should tell her tomorrow. If you…"

"Shepard?"

When Shepard turned her head back to Liara, Miranda quickly left the med bay. "Hey sweetheart. I'm here."

"What happened?"

Shepard was stroking Liara's cheek with her thumb, her other hand holding on to Liara's. "I was hoping you could tell me."

Liara closed her eyes, trying to remember what happened. "Jack…where's Jack?"

"She's fine. Dr. Chakwas needs to make sure you're okay. I'll be right back."

After a quick examination, Dr. Chakwas allowed Liara to leave the med bay. Back in their cabin, Shepard got her settled in bed then joined her. As soon as Shepard was in the bed, Liara wrapped her arm across her stomach and laid her head on Shepard's shoulder.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"We were walking and Jack was starting to open up about her past. Shepard, did you know that Jack was held in a Cerberus facility when she was a child?"

"No, I didn't. I guess her hatred for Cerberus is justified."

"Yes, it is. She didn't tell me everything. We had just left the Normandy. I heard a popping sound and Jack fell to the ground. I knelt beside her and…that's all I remember." Liara lifted her hand to the wound on her head. "I'm guessing someone hit me on the head. It hurts."

"Yeah, you've got a few stitches there. And a nice, big bump."

"How did you find me?"

"When you didn't show up for dinner or respond to my calls, I was worried. I started searching the shopping district and asked Garrus to start searching from the Normandy. He found you. I don't know who did this or why. Either of you could have been the target. It could have been a robbery but that doesn't make sense . Your necklace is missing, sweetheart."

Liara's hand immediately went to her throat; tears filled her eyes at the loss of the necklace. "My mother gave it to me, Shepard."

Shepard kissed Liara's head as she pulled her closer. "I know. Do you remember the day she gave it to you?" Liara nodded her head but didn't say anything. Shepard could feel Liara's tears on her shoulder as they fell. "You may not have the necklace anymore but you have the memory of that day and no one can take that from you."

Liara tightened her arm around Shepard's waist, her tears subsiding as she drifted closer to sleep. "Thank you. I love you, Shepard."

"I love you, too, Liara."