a/n: So here is the first interlude, I decided that there will possibly be three or four, shorter ones but with the same goal in mind, furthering their romance while also dropping hints as to what happens next. As well showing shifts in the characters, just a bit, things that remained true in a few chapters back are suddenly being put into focus more by Artemis. And I got rid of the italics because it was driving me mad to write in the format and since I'm not continuing the A story, if you will it should be fine.

"Bo was my first, Johnny was my second, Craven was the third. Nearly everyone after that was just a face, sometimes not even that. I didn't hesitate, if Fox wanted someone dead. They were gone by nights end, all she had to do was point me in the direction. Salvatore and Fox were right, it did become easier with each successive kill, though that probably had more to do with the fact that I hadn't known these people personally. Bo and Johnny were father figures, Johnny was the first one to ever believe that I would amount to anything great. Craven….Craven needed to die, I was one of the few lucky ones to escape nearly unscathed from his grasp. I never lose any sleep over his death." Artemis tapped her fingers against the metal table, a nervous habit that she had developed when she was worried about what Liara's reaction might be when she was being this frank with her.

Liara was quiet for a moment, "I think…I think that she was forcing you to break those bonds, making sure that you had no positive influence. In a backwards way she tricked you into making a decision that if she forced you, would undo everything that she had worked for as she groomed you." Artemis was quiet and Liara could see that she was running over her words quietly in her head and smiled to herself. It was nice to have someone listen to her advice and not have them merely scoff at her ideas due to her age. Whether or not Artemis agreed with her assessment, her words were still taken into account and weighed carefully before a response was generated.

Artemis suddenly emerged from her thoughts blinking and looking at Liara, "That fits," she muttered. It was an odd statement to make, and Liara met her eyes searching for an explanation. "I don't have all the pieces to the puzzle yet even now, I know what the image is, but there are several pieces still missing."

"Is it important? To know all the pieces that is. It was the past Shepard, there is nothing you can do to change what has already happened," Liara gently stroked Artemis's hand in an attempt to comfort her.

Artemis was quiet for a few moments, "I don't want to change my past, I just want to learn from it. I don't ever want to be manipulated like that again, on that grand scale. I don't want to do someone's bidding because they know things that I don't. I will not be…that person ever again. I don't want to be that person ever again." She sighed, "I don't obsess over it either, I know that it is what it is. But talking about it—"

"Brings up the questions again?" Artemis nodded and Liara gave her a comforting smile, "You don't have to talk about it if you do not wish to. It is clear that your past brings up painful memories and I can see that you sometimes struggle over telling me." As it stood now Liara was sure that Shepard kept things about her past from her. Liara didn't think it was something that Shepard did to protect her, or treat her as less of a person.

"You're the first person who has ever asked and wanted to know more," Artemis replied glancing away, there was a hint of nervousness in her voice. "You're the first person who I've told—" Artemis paused and looked back at Liara. "You're the first person who is going to get the entire story, from start to finish." Shepard bit the corner of her lip to keep from adding anything inappropriate. Liara was her friend, even if it was getting harder to be satisfied with such things.

Liara immediately picked up on the change and studied Artemis, "There was someone else?" Despite her best intentions a hint of jealousy quietly crept into her tone. She was being ridiculous and she knew it, Artemis was a grown woman, by Earth's standards. Of course there were other people, she had heard about Artemis and Sha'ira. Artemis wasn't like her; she was…experienced in that way. Liara paused in her thoughts, it wasn't even that concept that bothered her; it was the fact that there was someone else out there who this magnificent woman had fallen for.

Artemis eyes swept over her studying her quietly, an unreadable expression of on her face. "You're the first person who's going to get the entire story," She repeated again, a small smile, which didn't reach her eyes, flashing across her face.

Liara nodded, there was always a hidden meaning to some of Artemis's words, she assumed that this was one of them. "When you said Bo was your first, I thought you meant—" Liara broke off and blushed.

Artemis blinked as if suddenly realizing that her words could have been construed that way, and shook her head. "Bo never touched me like that. I was just a kid, in his mind his kid. Besides I never saw him hang out with anyone apart from Fox…" Artemis trailed off again suddenly confused by her own words. Realization dawned in her eyes and she turned her attention back to Liara quickly as if she hadn't faded out of existence.

"Another piece fell into place?" She was met with a swift nod from Artemis and Liara smiled pleased she could be of some use to her. "Spoilers?"

This time Artemis laughed and nodded, "Spoilers." There was another moment of silence between the two women. "I didn't know what love was back then. I thought I loved Fox more than anyone else in the world. I would have done anything for her, anything and I did. I did everything she asked except I never loved her, at least not really. At one point in time I may have though," Artemis quickly pondered over this conundrum for a second.

Liara nodded, it was something that she could believe. From everything that Artemis had described, that idolization of Fox could have evolved over time into a love of the more romantic kind. "What happened between the two of you?"

Artemis snorted derisively, "If you were to ask Fox, she would inform you that I broke her heart. The truth of the matter is that woman played with my feelings and emotions and she smashed mine before I ever 'betrayed' her. " Artemis quickly waved the thoughts away with a quick and hard shaking of her head. It was if she believed that if she shook hard enough the thoughts would fall out of her head. "Tell me about the Protheans," she said suddenly causing Liara's to look up in shock, surprised by the request.

"The greatest galactic civilization wiped out by the Reapers, the story is a tragedy Shepard and you know how it ends."

Artemis shrugged, "You know how my story ends, or at least that chapter of my story ends. I'm standing right here in front of you. And you still want to hear me tell the story," there was a playful smile on her face.

Liara smiled back, it was rare to see anything but the cold neutral mask on Shepard's face. "I don't know the details. Besides I have to admit that I enjoy listening to your voice Commander," Liara paused as she watched Artemis turn a few shades redder, and slowly cocked her head. "Are you okay Artemis?"

The sudden comment had caused the crack in the mask to fade if only for a moment as she coughed and looked away. "So tell me about your home world? I've never been in Asari space. Or you can tell me of your childhood. Cause I like hearing your voice to," she mumbled the last part suddenly unsure of herself. This wasn't something that she personally had a lot of experience with, there had only been one other person that she had tried to share this much with and that had been nearly fifteen years ago.

Liara smiled at her, trying to ignore the fact that her cheeks were a bit bluer. "Thessia is beautiful Shepard, one day you should come visit it with me. As you know the it has an abundance of element zero…"

Artemis listened attentively, smiling as Liara continued to speak. It wasn't just the words, or her voice it was the whole package. It was how her nose crinkled when she laughed or her hand movements when she was describing the flowers that could be found on Thessia. It was the fact, that she could see how lonely Liara was, they were similar in ways but at the same time still completely different. While Liara was naïve about certain things she offered insight that she personally would never have thought of. "Maybe after the whole Saren thing, you can take me there and show me."

Liara smiled, "I would like that," she bit her lip and looked at Artemis, "Shepard?"

Artemis glanced up, "Hmm?"

"It's not just the beacon that was on Eden Prime, or that you were touched by working Prothean technology. I don't want to dissect you or study you, but I do want to know everything about you. It's just you Artemis, there is something about you that is so compelling," Liara inhaled slowly trying to calm herself down. She had seen flashes of different sides of Artemis Shepard and they only drew her in more. "And I don't see how you could find me to be the slightest bit interesting. I'm not Kaiden…I mean I'm not a soldier."

Being on the Normandy was like being on every other ship, people gossiped, and the latest gossip was how much time that Artemis had been spending with Kaiden. The crew buzzed with the thoughts of their Commander and second in command getting it on, and it was quite clear that Kaiden was smitten. Of course no one exactly knew what Shepard was thinking at any given point in time, but since she hadn't rejected him outright the gossip had only gotten worse.

"Kaiden's male, and he's boring," Artemis said with a shrug as she stood up, "We need to get some rest, tomorrow it's going to be a long day on Noveria and you're going to need to be ready."

Liara nodded quickly surprised at how quickly and easily Artemis had side-stepped the discussion and switched back into Commander Shepard mode, "Of course Commander." With that she too got up and began to head to her little office behind the med-bay.

Artemis eyes tracked Liara for a moment before she headed in the opposite direction stopping for a moment to glance over her shoulder, "Liara?" Liara paused and turned back to look at Shepard. "I find you pretty compelling as well," She flashed Liara a cheeky grin and was gone before Liara could collect herself to respond.