Author's Note: This is the last chapter I can post for a while, so enjoy some Liara and assorted other squadmates. This is it for a week. Enjoy.

Secret Conversations

The light blue asari took the few minutes of silence she had to punch up a number for an old contact of hers.

"Ms. Lawson," she said when the human appeared.

"Ms. T'Soni, or is it Misses now?" the confident ex-Cerberus agent smiled.

Liara smiled. "Oh you know."

"Shouldn't you be resting right now?" Miranda asked. "Shepard wouldn't be too happy if she knew you were working."

Liara fidgeted in the bed she was currently confined to. "You're right. She wouldn't be happy, which is why I was hoping we could make this quick."

"What do you need oh illustrious Shadow Broker?"

"There is a… concern brewing out in the Terminus. I have an agent looking into it, but the situation requires more help than my organization can spare."

"Oh no, I'm not going to be roped into another one of your schemes. Shepard would kill me," Miranda said. "And you."

"You didn't let me finish," Liara chided. "I have a new operative, ex-Cerberus."

Miranda's attention was piqued. "Pre- or post-indoctrination?"

"Post, definitely post."

"Are you sure you can trust them? I've been hearing stories about the indoctrinated forces. Lots of them have been breaking out of the various prisons they've been held in. They are organizing."

"That's why I'm concerned. I don't have anyone else I can send, but I need to know everything about her," Liara said. "Just look through your Cerberus archives and see what you can find?"

Miranda nodded, "I'll put the Alliance's requests on hold for right now. They just want all of the Cerberus information declassified and every test and lab secured. It will be a break from the tedium."

"I already sent the information," Liara said.

"I'll look into and let you know," Miranda said. "And I promise I'll visit soon."

"If you don't Shepard will hunt you down."

"Talk to you later T'Soni."

"Goodbye Lawson."

The call ended and Liara took a deep breath. She listened to the silence around her. The monitor next to her didn't make a sound. No sounds of crying made it through. She knew that Shepard had probably fallen asleep while playing guard so she had enough time to make the next call.

A quarian answered the call this time.

"Liara! How are you doing?" Tali cried. "It's late why are you even up? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I'm laying down now," Liara said. Part of her wanted to be annoyed at all the mothering she was getting from all of her old friends, but she liked the fact that they all took a vested interest in her health and safety. "I called to ask a favor."

"Garrus is already packing for the trip," Tali said. "We should be there in a couple of days."

"Shepard will be pleased."

"Have you decided on a name yet?" Tali asked excitedly. "You know Tali is a nice strong name."

"I was going to let Shepard decide, but…"

"But what?"

"She says that she wants to call her either 'Commander' or 'Shepard' since no one ever uses her first name," Liara smiled. "I think I might have to revoke naming privileges."

Tali laughed. "How is your daughter doing?"

"Good. Healthy. Strong like her dad. She's already got that mischievous gleam in her eye and she's only a week old," Liara took the opportunity to brag. "But you'll have to see when you get here."

"Well if Garrus can stop arguing with the contractors who are building the house we can leave soon," Tali said.

"Actually I was calling on Shadow Broker business," Liara said hating to ask a favor of such a close friend.

"Shepard couldn't convince you to stop doing that even with the baby?" Tali said in the tone of voice one has when scolding a small child.

"She knows I need to keep myself busy."

"What do you need Broker?"

"I have a team coming to Rannoch to investigate the attack from two days ago. Can you give them a hand, and just keep an eye on them? There probably won't be any combat. I just need someone I trust to get eyes on them," Liara explained.

"Do you not trust your own team?"

"Not so much. Two of them are indoctrinated but I have no else to send. So far they have proved trustworthy but…"

"They are indoctrinated and they are never safe," Tali said. "Very well. I'll keep an eye on them. Send me their details."

"Thank you Tali. And when you finish you should come see us."

"We will."

"Goodbye."

"Bye."

Liara finished the call and put away her things. She was exhausted. Sleep was beginning to creep up on her. Her eyes started to close when she heard a noise on the monitor in the baby's room.

She instantly sat bolt upright and her heart started pumping quickly. The adrenaline banished all thoughts of sleep.

But it wasn't the sounds of crying or the moans of a baby missing its mother.

It was a voice.

The whispered voice of Commander Shepard speaking to her sleeping daughter.

"Hey little girl," she whispered, barely audible through the monitor. "I hope you are ready for a boring life. Because I've worked damn hard to make sure that there is going to be no threat to you or anyone else. This galaxy is going to be safe and at peace one way or another. Because you're here now and I won't let anything happen to you. It's a promise."

Liara smiled, and tried to blink away a tear. Her daughter had the best father she could hope for. And she knew first hand Shepard's promises weren't something she gave away lightly. She once promised to always return to Liara. And she crawled back from death twice just to keep that promise. And if she made a promise like that to her daughter, Liara knew that Shepard would keep it.

"And your mom is working hard at protecting you too. Even if she ignores me and keeps working at all hours of the night," Shepard whispered across the monitor at Liara.

"I'm going to sleep now," she whispered back knowing full well that Shepard couldn't hear her.

"I'll be there in a second Liara," Shepard whispered. "Sleep tight kid."