Chapter Twelve

Captain Leia Shepard is in bed sleeping, deep in REM sleep mode. Normally, Shepard wakes up from her nightmares, but not tonight. Tonight, she is reliving her actions after she called the Normandy to evac Liara and Garrus. Leia mumbles, "Nooooooooo!" Harbinger's weapon hits close enough to Shepard that it knocks her backwards and melts portions of her armor. "Get up, marine. You have to get to the beam!" Slowly getting up, Leia grabs the pistol. Where her sniper rifle or assault rifle ended up she doesn't know, but the pistol is lying next to her. "Urgh" escapes her mouth as she lands on the Citadel. Shepard continues to thrash against the sheets, "Drop the gun, drop it. Nooooo, I can't!" The Illusive Man is pacing between Anderson and Shepard, "See the power they wield." The gun in Shepard's hand fires without Shepard pulling the trigger.

The sheets end up on the floor along with one of the pillows. Shepard mumbles again, "Stay with me, Anderson. Stay with me! We're almost through this." The Citadel arms are opening. Admiral Anderson sits next to Shepard as they look at Earth and fighting between the fleets and the Reapers. Anderson says before he dies, "You did good, child. You did good. I'm proud of you." Leia has her right hand on her lower torso, covering the wound that is now healed. She's moving towards the console, but doesn't reach it. "I don't see anything. I..."

The next scene Shepard relives in her nightmare is her talk with the Catalyst. "Why did you have to look like the little boy who I couldn't save when we left Earth? WHY!?" cries out Shepard in her sleep. The Catalyst explains the three choices including synthesis. Shepard says, "I... don't know."

"Why not? Synthetics are already a part of you. Can you imagine your life without them?"

"And, there will be peace?"

"The cycle will end. The Reapers will cease their harvest. And the civilizations preserved in their forms will be connected to all of us. Synthesis is final evolution of all life. The paths are open, but you have to choose."

Leia continues to thrash in the bed, mumbling, "Yes, I can imagine my life without them. I never asked to die and be rebuilt. I never wanted them!"

Dr. Liara T'Soni walks into the bedroom and stops when she sees Leia thrashing in the bed. "Goddess." She runs over to the bed and tries to wake her bondmate . "Leia, wake up. You're only having a nightmare. Please, wake up!"

The nightmare Shepard is experiencing moves from the Citadel to the dead looking forest with Shepard chasing the boy she couldn't save on Earth. She hears the voices whispers from the dead, "Shepard" "Shepard, excellent timing." "Go back and get the lieutenant, Commander." "Shepard-Commander" "Shepard" She keeps chasing the boy around the forest of dead trees, but never catches him. She only hears the the dead whispering her name. "Commander, I'm afraid I won't be joining you." "Shepard" "That was a joke." "I was designed to be perfect." "You did good, child. You did good." "Shepard"

"Leia, wake up," says Liara as she shakes Shepard's shoulder. The asari moves to keep from getting hit from Shepard's flinging arms. Remembering how Steve Cortez woke up James Vega, Liara goes into the kitchen to grab a glass of cold water.

Shepard is still thrashing in the bed mumbling, "I never wanted them." Liara tosses the glass of water in Leia's face, waking her suddenly. Wiping the water from her face, Leia looks at Liara confused. She remembers her nightmare. "Ah, thanks. You couldn't wake me without tossing water at me?" Leia looks around the bedroom to see the sheets are on the floor along with a pillow. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry if I did."

Liara sets the empty glass on the end table. She sits on the bed and holds Shepard. "No, I was about to go to bed when I walked in and saw you thrashing about in the bed and mumbling, "I never wanted them. Never wanted what, Leia? Do you even remember anything from your nightmare?"

Leia nods, "Yes, unfortunately, I do remember. Part of the nightmare was the same one I was having during the war. I'm chasing the boy who died on Earth in a forest with dead trees. The one I watch die. The one I couldn't save. Then I hear the whispers of the dead. Thane, Mordin, Legion, Miranda, Ash, and the civilians I couldn't save. When I finally catch him, he is on fire. This one, I never caught him, and I also heard EDI and Anderson." Shepard gets off the bed and walks over to the window.

It's a clear night with a waning moon shining in the sky. "The worse part of it, Liara. I relived everything I did after calling Joker to evac you and Garrus. Me getting hit by Harbinger's beam. I felt like death, but I kept going." Shepard turns to face Liara, "Are you up for a meld? I can't describe what happened and have it make sense, but I'll share my memory with you."

T'Soni joins Shepard by the window. "Only if you are ready to share it." Liara notices the look in Leia's eyes. They are pleading for her to start the meld. "Relax, Leia." The asari closes her eyes. When she opens them, they are black instead of blue.

Liara witnesses, feels every thing from Shepard getting hit by Harbinger, the jump through the beam. Her talking to the Illusive Man to the Catalyst explaining the choices and Leia blowing up the Citadel. When she ends the meld, Liara hugs Leia tightly. The asari realizes how close to death Shepard was when she hit the beam. It's a miracle she survived at all. This revelation makes Liara treasure her love even more. Liara leads Leia back to the bed. Shepard lies back down with Liara joining her. Leia curls up next to Liara with her arms around the asari. "Did that help you understand why I'm having a hard time with making decisions? Or am I just crazy?"

"Yes, it helps me understand. And no, you are not crazy. However, you were always wired a little differently than most people, but you are not crazy." Liara kisses the top of Shepard's head. "Leia, you had more pressure on your shoulders than any one person should be burdened with." Liara uses her right hand to rub Shepard's back.

Shepard's body is releasing the tension caused by the nightmare. She doesn't feel like going back to sleep, but she does feel like talking. To tell Liara the things she should have said top her months ago. "I'm sorry, Liara. I'm sorry I died and for what you went through to bring me back. I'm thankful you did what you did, I only wish your actions weren't needed. You gave up what you love because of me and I feel the guilt from it."

Liara starts to say something in rebuttal when Leia puts her fingers over Liara's lips. Shepard keeps talking, "I'm only here because of you. I love you more every day and I didn't think that was possible. I should have talked to you about this before now. I did what I thought I had to to end the war. I hope you understand. It was never an issue of trust. Only bad timing. I didn't think allowing myself to share how I was feeling with you or anyone else was a good idea. Towards the end, I felt a few times like I was wavering and wondered if we could really pull it off, but I had to keep going. I had to keep forcing myself to move forward. There was too much at stake. I'm sorry for the hell I put you through, Liara."

T'Soni still rubs on Shepard's back. "You didn't put me through any hell, Leia. The Reapers put everyone through hell. You included. We got through it and we'll get through this. Tell me what you need from me." Liara moves to a more prone position then kisses Shepard. "I love you."

Leia doesn't respond, she only snuggles against Liara. The human's body wants her to go back to sleep, but is unsure if it's a good idea. Not with Liara in bed with her. Shepard worries she'll start thrashing again and accidentally hurt Liara. After about thirty minutes, Leia finally falls back asleep in Liara's embrace. Not long after Shepard falls asleep, Liara joins her in slumber.

The alarm Shepard set is buzzing an annoying noise designed to wake even the heaviest of sleepers. Liara turns enough for her to turn the alarm off. The human lying on the asari's shoulder starts to stir when Liara moves to turn off the alarm. Leia moves from Liara to lie on her back, stretching her arms out. Covering her mouth while she yawns, Shepard sits up and grins at Liara. "Morning. I hope I don't have too many nights like last night. Thanks for understanding." Leia kisses T'Soni before she gets out of bed and heads to the shower.

"My pleasure," replies Liara as she watches Leia walk into the bathroom. She follows Shepard into the bathroom. Leia is already in the shower, so Liara undresses and joins her. "Feeling better?" asks the asari as she wraps her blue arms around the human's waist.

Leia leans back against Liara, "For now" Shepard's voice is devoid of any emotions. She moves to let the water hit her in the face. "Are you still planning on meeting with the realtor?"

Liara takes the soap and starts washing Shepard's back. "Only if you want me to. If not, I'll go with you to Alliance HQ for your meeting with Kaidan and Steve." After finishing washing Leia's back, Liara starts to wash herself.

"Yes, I want you to go. If we need to fix anything or make changes, we have time before I have to give Admiral Hackett my answer." Shepard takes the soap from Liara and starts to wash the love of her life. "Here let me."

They switch places under the shower head, so Liara can rinse off the suds. Once Shepard finishes washing every millimeter of Liara's body, she puts the soap back on the soap dish then caresses the asari's face sensually with both hands before kissing her passionately. They stand under the water kissing with their hands exploring familiar territory. And before they know it the shower turns cold. Leia without haste turns the water off. "I guess it's time to get out." She kisses Liara again.

Liara chuckles, "I suppose it is." Grabbing a towel, she wraps it around Leia pulling her close for another lingering kiss. "I love you, Leia."

"I love you too, Liara." Smiling at Liara, Leia gets out of the shower and takes the towel with her. Shepard does hand Liara another towel. She dries herself off, hangs the towel back up, and walks back into the bedroom to get dress. "Oh, shit! It's almost 0930. Already? Liara, we need to hurry." Leia puts on her casual Alliance uniform. If she's going to HQ, she feels she needs to wear her uniform. Even if it's the casual one. Normally, she would wear her dress blues. Because she is on leave, the casual uniform is good enough.

"I'll drop you off at Alliance HQ. I don't know how long I'll be with the realtor. I can't see it being more than an hour or hour and a half." Liara puts on a pair of navy blue shorts and a sky blue short-sleeve blouse.

Before they leave, Shepard grabs a few bananas and a couple of bottles of water. So they can eat on the way to their destinations. One the way to Alliance HQ, Liara fills Shepard in what is going on with the commando unit. She likes how Liara added the commandos to the mix. It will throw Pablo off. If the asari don't get over zealous and kill him. Dr. T'Soni drops Captain Shepard off then heads to her appointment with the realtor.

Shepard watches Liara ascend into the sky merging with the traffic. Another car descends from traffic and parks in the same spot vacated by Liara. The Captain watches the door of the skycar open and Kaidan and Steve exit. "Right on time, Major, Lieutenant. How are you two this morning?" Shepard nods with a grin to the two Alliance officers.

Exchanging hand shakes with both men, the trio walk into Alliance HQ. Major Alenko leads them up to the third floor and finds an empty table. Sitting at the only working terminal on the floor is Operations Chief Fallis. He is looking over the blueprints of the cantina owned by Pablo Araya. The tech expert is looking for a place to place some surveillance devices. Fallis has already looked at a detailed map of the buildings near the cantina.

"What are you looking at, Chief?" asks Major Alenko with a smirk on his face.

"Morning, Major, Captain, Lieutenant. I'm looking at the blueprints to Araya's bar. Seeing if I can find a place to put some devices," replies Chief Fallis as he stands to salute his commanding officer. Alenko returns the salute.

Shepard asks, "Find anything, Chief?"

"I think so, ma'am. I won't know for certain until I get there. However, I do see two for certain, one is across the street from their back door. The other is a view of the front door," answers Fallis.

"Show me," orders Alenko.

Chief Fallis hits a few buttons on the terminal and the images transfer to a bigger monitor hanging on the wall. Fallis moves his right hand to the left making the image move in that direction. "Here, this spot has a perfect line of sight to the front door." He is pointing to a statue in the middle of the town square. Chief Fallis moves his hand to the right to show the location to the cantina's back door to. "And here. This storage shed has good sight to the back door. Getting the camera on the statue undetected could be problematic. But the shed location is a quick in and out."

Captain Shepard stands with her right arm across her chest, left elbow on right hand with her left hand rubbing her chin. "A cloaking program should help you remain undetected while you plant the device on the statue. When are you wanting to plant the devices?"

"As soon as you need them, ma'am. I am ready for anything, Captain," replies the tech expert. Since Fallis has been in Rio, he's found a few new toys to play with. Plus he is working on a new piece of tech. This tech isn't completed, he hasn't mentioned it to anyone. If he gets a few more days worth of down time, he might get to complete it.

Major Alenko asks,"Find anything else you can exploit, Chief?"

Nodding at Alenko, Fallis changes the image on the wall monitor to the blueprints of the cantina. "I know it's a cliché, but I think he talks a lot when he is at the bar. Brags, tells tall tales, or gives orders. So, we find where he likes to sit. Because all bosses have "their" spot and attempt to plant a bug near it." Fallis uses air quotes when he says 'their'.

"That's a risky proposition, Fallis. Are you willing to attempt it?" asks Lieutenant Cortez. The pilot is standing behind Kaidan and Leia with his hands behind his back.

"If there was a distraction, I would, sir," replies Ronnil Fallis.

"It's too risky, Chief," comments Captain Shepard. Pablo Araya isn't worth the risk. It's good to see Fallis is willing to take the risk, but she doesn't want them doing anything high risk. "I don't want anyone of you taking a risk. Trust me, Araya is going to have his hands full with the commandos harassing him."

Kaidan adds in, "I agree. We let the commandos do what Liara is paying them to do, while we go up there to talk to others in the community and hope we find people willing to talk. Which is probably zero. We also have to keep an eye on the cousin, Luis. He's local PD and he will tell Pablo we're snooping around."

Leia asks, "Kaidan, what is your plan if Araya tells you to leave town in a not very subtle way? He'll do something if you don't leave."

"If he does that, we'll leave," answers Kaidan. "Any idea what the commandos plan on doing, Shepard?"

"None. They should arrive sometime today and won't contact Liara again until they secure their package. I have no idea what they are planning. I do know this. They are going to recon the area for a few days then plan their course of action," replies Shepard.

Steve asks, "What do you recommend, Shepard?"

"Let the commandos do the heavy lifting. Go there, talk to the owners of Los Villas first. Check in if they let you. For all we know, Araya could have told them to not rent to Alliance personal. Also, act like you two are fighting." Shepard moves her left hand between Steve and Kaidan.

Kaidan jumps in asking, "Like we talked about yesterday? With the doctored up audio?"

"Exactly. You have that ready Chief?" Shepard turns to the tech expert when she poses her question to him.

Shaking his head, Operations Chief Fallis answers, "No, ma'am. I will have it ready in the next few hours."

Kaidan orders, "Get to it then, Chief."

Fallis snaps to attention, salutes Major Alenko, then says, "Aye, aye, sir." The tech leave the three officers to start working on doctoring audio of Shepard ordering Cortez back to the Normandy without her, her team, and the students from Grissom Academy.

"Kaidan, Steve, be careful. Araya might sense it's a set-up. He was invited to be a N7 for a reason. Remember that, Kaidan. He's a hothead and that got the better of him during the initial training. In truth, you really don't need to do anything. Let the commandos Liara sent handle it. They're detaining him in two weeks at a safe location. That is all I know," says Captain Shepard.

"Thanks, Shepard. Oh, I never did ask, where's Liara?" asks Alenko.

Leia grins, "She had a meeting with a realtor. We took a drive around Rio after you guys left yesterday and she found a place she is interested in buying."

Steve has a curious look on his face, "Why are you not with her?"

"Because we already had this meeting planned and I told her to go. I don't need to see it. If she wants to buy it, we'll buy it. I grew up on ships, Steve," replies Shepard with the grin still on her face.

Alenko grins at Shepard while saying, "So, you and Liara are settling down here in Rio?"

Nodding, Leia's grin grows to a smile, "Yes, I guess so. I don't know if either of you know, but Admiral Hackett gave me a few choices for my next assignment and one of the posts is here in Rio."

"James did say the CO of The Villa is retiring and there is a rumor you're taking over," comments Steve. He nods in approval of the idea. "I couldn't think of anyone more qualified to take over The Villa, Shepard."

Shepard only shrugs at Cortez, "I'm still mulling over what to do next. I have until the end of my shore leave to decide. I'll probably take that long too."

"Do you want us to keep you updated, Shepard?" asks Major Alenko.

"No, I don't. I will contact you when the commandos detain him. I do want you both with me when I confront him. He isn't going to be a happy man by the time he sees me. I think he forgets I'm a Spectre or refuses to actually believe it," answers Shepard.

Kaidan replies, "Okay. I should make sure Fallis gets the audio done. If you need anything, Shepard, don't hesitate to call." He pats Shepard on the upper arm before leaving to check on Fallis.

"I will, Kaidan." Shepard steps closer to Steve Cortez. It didn't go unnoticed by Shepard, Steve and Kaidan's little interactions with each other while they discussed their plan of action. "Enjoying your leave, Steve?"

Steve has a big smile on his face, "Yes, Shepard, I am. Thank you, again..." He glances over in Kaidan's direction. "...for helping me move past my grief for Robert. You helped me feel again and I am able to move forward because of it." There is a pause when Steve looks at Kaidan again with a smirk on his face. "He's a good man isn't he?"

Looking over at Kaidan, Leia answers when she looks at Steve, "Yes, Kaidan is, Steve. I should go. I want to see if I can find a place to workout here and I still need to talk to Admiral Hackett." Shepard pats Cortez on the arm then walks around the building looking for a gym or something to workout with.

Dr. Liara T'Soni is waiting outside the estate for the realtor, Breno Morais. She is early for the appointment and notices the estate's security is like a fortress. The asari wonders why there is so much security. But if it already has this much already, they won't need to invest in as much. The one thing Liara wants is to make sure her family is safe. If they live on Earth or any other planet, their safety is a high priority for Liara.

What little Liara has seen of the property so far, she likes. She needs to see the inside of the house. The estate is on three acres of land. Plenty of room for the girls to play, roam, and explore in privacy. The asari looks through one of the windows from the front porch. From the view Liara has, the inside of the house looks old, beautiful, and empty. T'Soni wonders how long the house has been vacant.

Breno Morais parks his skycar next to Dr. T'Soni's. He's late and he knows it. He hurries and joins the asari waiting on the front porch. "Please, forgive my tardiness, Dr. T'Soni." He reaches out to shake her hand.

Shaking the human's hand, Liara replies, "It's okay, Mr. Morais. I've looked around. This property is only three acres?"

"Yes, it is, Dr. T'Soni. Which do you want to see first? The inside of the house or the property?" asks the realtor.

Liara points to the front door, "I would like to see the inside first."

"Of course." Breno Morais locates the key to the box containing the keys to the estate. After he fumbles with his keys, he unlocks the box then opens the front door. The human and asari enter the house. "Dr. T'Soni, feel free to look around. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Mr. Morais," says Liara as she starts to roam around the big empty house.

She takes her time looking over every room. Liara is very impressed with the house. Five bedrooms, each with a walk-in closet. The master bedroom has a deep whirlpool tub big enough for two, two side-by-side sinks made of blue venato marble, and a shower. There are three full bathrooms, each with different shades of blue marble counter top, shower and a regular tub. The kitchen is very spacious with plenty of counter and cabinet space. The cherry wood cabinets line the wall above and below the black marble counter. There are no appliances in the kitchen, but she sees the empty spots for the appliances.

There is also a large study with two walls with built-in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a corner desk. The living room has a wood fireplace. Liara walks out the back door to the back patio. There is both a small oval pool with the deepest end being only five feet deep. Next to the pool is a four-person hot tub. The back yard shows signs of the Reaper invasion, but no major damage to the house. The guest house looks like a Sovereign-size Reaper stomped on it.

Breno Morais and Liara T'Soni get into his skycar, so Mr. Morais can show Liara the rest of the property. Morais flies low over the entire three acres. Liara makes several notes on her omni-tool. She asks Morais to park next to the garage. The realtor doesn't have a key to unlock the door, "Hmm. That's odd. This key should open all the doors to the estate. Forgive me, Dr. T'Soni. I have no idea what is in there."

Liara has a program on her omni-tool that will open the door, but decides not to mention it. "That is alright, Mr. Morais. I do have a few questions for you."

"I'll try to answer them the best I can," replies the realtor.

"Eight million credits seems low for this property. Which tells me there is a problem some where and you are not saying anything. Please explain the low price," comments Liara. The asari has already done her homework on property prices in the area and knows something is up with this property with the low-ball price tag.

Shocked by Liara's comment, most people Morais deals with do not think eight million credits as cheap, but he has never done business with an asari before. "I do not know of any problems with the property, Dr. T'Soni. Except for not having the key to the garage and the smashed guest house. The key I don't know was a problem until now. This estate is several hundred years old and is one of the most expensive properties in the area. I'm sorry if you think there are problems. I assure you, if I knew of any problems, I would tell you."

Liara knows Morais is lying to her. She brings up her omni-tool with the data she has on the housing market in Rio. "If this is one of the most expensive properties in the area, then explain to me why the most expensive property listed is over fifty million and on five acres. This house is bigger with less land. Again, Mr. Morais, what is the problem with this estate?" She closes her omni-tool.

Breno knows he's been caught lying to the asari, so he comes clean with her. "It's been on the market for almost a year. I am the fourth realtor to try to sell it. I got the listing the day before the Reapers invaded. With the devastation, people are looking to rebuild their existing homes and not looking to buy something else. The owner originally asked forty million and got laughed at by many prospective buyers. So, the price kept going lower. Then the Reapers hit Earth. I really don't know why people don't want it. It's a beautiful estate."

"I agree, it is beautiful. I need to discuss this with my bondmate. I'm certain after our discussion, there is a chance we might buy it. May I contact you after talking to my bondmate?" asks T'Soni. She senses she has offended the realtor, which she didn't mean to do. However, she isn't going to apologize to him for her comments.

Morais smiles at Liara, "I'll be more than happy to show the estate to your bondmate, Dr. T'Soni."

Shaking her head no, Liara replies, "That will not be necessary. However, I would like to look over the property again."

They return to Breno's skycar to look over the property one more time. The more she sees the surrounding property, the more she wants to buy it. She wants to make sure Leia is okay with buying it first. Liara wants to give the realtor some type of down payment, but worries about Shepard's reaction. She doesn't think Shepard will get angry, but with Leia not being in a good place mentally, she rather take it slow. Especially after Shepard's nightmare last night.

Mr. Morias parks his skycar next to Liara's. They both vacate the vehicle. Morias moves closer to T'Soni. "Is there anything else I can show you, Dr. T'Soni?"

Liara shakes her head at the human, "No, I think I have seen everything I need to. Well, except for the garage. I do need to talk to my bondmate, but I am fairly certain, we will take it."

The realtor offers his hand to the asari, who shakes his hand, "I hope to hear from you very soon. I don't have any other appointments to show the property. You are the first person to contact me about in over a month. That person never showed up for the appointment."

"I do think the estate is beautiful and I think my bondmate will agree with me. Thank you for your time, Mr. Morias. I will contact you with our decision by tomorrow," comments Liara before heading to her car, so she can pick Shepard up at Alliance HQ.

A huge grin appears on the realtor's face when he hears he might have sold the property. After Liara leave, the realtor does a little happy dance. "Yes, I may have sold this place." He gets into his car and drives back to his office. Liara is the only appointment he has for the day. Business is slow because of the war and he needs to sell something to keep his business afloat.

Alliance HQ

Captain Shepard finds a punching bag after her talk with Fleet Admiral Hackett. The punching bag looks very used with lots of duct tape around the middle, and missing some of the filling. It looks like someone or several people used it to vent their frustrations on. Leia finds a pair of training gloves sitting on a table. The gloves also look very well used and are a size too big, but she uses them anyway. Shepard starts punching on the bag. Slowly and a little too softly at first, but as the minutes tick by, she starts punching the bag faster and harder.

Shepard sticks and moves as she punches on the bag. A familiar voice says, "Captain Shepard, why am I not surprised to find you here?"

Leia keeps her focus on the punching bag and ignores who is talking to her. Admiral Hannah Shepard walks over and holds the bag for Leia. Captain Shepard punches the bag harder since her mother is holding it. Leia is trying to workout all of her doubts about making decisions on the bag and isn't talking or looking at anyone else.

Hannah shoves the bag back in Leia's direction, which causes Leia to move out-of-the-way and punches the bag with her left hand. She stops the bag from moving, "Hi, mom. What brings you to Rio?"

"You don't know?" asks Hannah.

Leia tilts her head to the left with a confused look on her face. "Know what?" She punches the bag as hard as she can with her right hand one last time.

"Liara contacted Dr. Chakwas and asked us to come to Rio. She didn't tell you?" asks Hannah, surprised Liara didn't tell her daughter she contacted them.

Captain Shepard takes off the gloves and sets them on the table where she found them. Leia grins at her mother. "How did you know I was here, mom? And where is Dr. Chakwas?"

"Karin is waiting for us outside talking to Liara. I called Liara when we arrived at the cottage and noticed the shuttle was there, but you and Liara were not there. She said you were here and she was on her way to pick you up. You two are buying a house here in Rio?" asks Admiral Shepard.

A smirk appears on Leia's face. "She did have an appointment with a realtor, while I came here to meet with Major Alenko. Liara needs to work and wants to move her equipment off the Normandy. I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. Not yet anyway."

Hannah nods to her only child, "Are you ready to leave, Leia?"

"Yes, I worked out enough for today. I wish they had more things here besides a few free weights and a punching bag. I should go to the Villa and see if they still have a full gym set-up. They did when I was training there." Leia and Hannah leave, heading outside to find Karin and Liara.

Elqui Valley

A shuttle carrying four asari commandos lands in a lot next to a camp ground along the Rio Elqui. The camp ground is several clicks from Vicuña. Lieutenant Biekka thinks it is the perfect place for their home base. Close enough to Vicuña, but far enough way to stay out of sight. The commandos exit the shuttle, each carrying two bags worth of gear with Biekka carrying four bags. Lieutenant Biekka pays the fee for the two weeks they plan on staying. The squad leader knows there is a good chance they will leave the site early.

They can use any empty lot in the area, so the commandos set camp in a lot closest to the trees, but a short distance from the river. Vel and Theia are setting up the tent, while Metis and Biekka start looking around the camp site. Metis walks along the treeline and Biekka walks long the river heading upstream. The two older asari walk several hundred meters before heading back. The tent is up and the two younger asari are stowing everyone's gear inside the tent.

The tent is new, Vel found an eight-person tent with two rooms. One room has their gear and a folding camping table with four chairs, the other is the sleeping quarters. Vel only found two cots, so they'll rotate who sleeps on the floor and who gets the cots. They also found a folding camping table and four chairs to go with it. The Lieutenant says as she looks around the tent when she walks in, "Good job, Vel. This is nice. Humans continue to impress me. You do know how to procure things. Here is the plan for the next two to three days. We don't need to hurry on this. If we can't kill him, we need to find a weakness and exploit it. There is nothing in the dossier Dr. T'Soni sent mentions if he is anti-alien or not. It did say he has a problem with human women."

Metis speaks up, "That could be something to exploit, Bi."

"Or it could be a problem. If he attacks or goes after one of us, we have problems. We need to be smart about it." Biekka points to her head with her left hand. "One night his power gets shut off during the busiest time. Or a shipment of something comes up missing. Those are the type of things we need to do first. Once each should be enough. First, we need to see a pattern, watch his movements for a few days. Which we'll only find out by doing recon. Theia, you and I are going into town tonight after dark. Take a look around, see the layout in person. I'd rather see what I am dealing with with my own eyes instead of relying on extranet data and images," says Biekka.

Vel asks, "What about a little vandalism? Few broken windows, no need to steal anything. Do that at night anyway." A mischievous smirk appears on her face.

Metis chuckles while saying, "I like the way you think, Vel. Oh, this is going to be fun, isn't it?"

Theia nods her head with a beaming smile on her face, "It is beginning to look that way. This isn't a normal job, but it's paying well and it looking very entertaining from our perspective."

"So, you're glad you stowed it then?" asks Biekka in a sarcastic tone.

"Yes, ma'am, I am." answers Theia respectfully.

The Lieutenant smacks Theia on the back. "Good answer. Where are the ever lovely field rations for lunch? If there is any place to get actual food in town, we're getting something. I can't eat this shit for two weeks."

Vel points to the lone bag behind Biekka, "In the bag behind you, ma'am." She points over her shoulder with her left thumb, "Our weapons and armor are in these bags. And the bags with our personal belongings are with the cots. I thought it would be wise to keep them separate." She grins at her superior.

Biekka turns and picks the bag up and places it on the table. Looking for something she thinks is edible, she finds the last ration pack from Thessia. Everything else they have is Alliance issue and Biekka doesn't like the Alliance rations. She'll eat them if she must, but she would rather not. The Lieutenant sits in a chair, eating the last good ration. "Theia, I think causal clothes and a concealed pistol is all we need. We should try to look like tourists. For now."

"Or looking for say, some companionship," says Theia. "That might be fun too."

Metis busts out laughing, "Goddess, don't you think of anything else?"

Theia glares at Metis. "Whatever, Metis. Even if the target isn't interested, it doesn't mean one of his cronies won't be interested. We could get intel from them without them even realizing it. It could be a good way to get shipping information. Humans can't help themselves and we might as well take advantage of it. Stop being such a prude."

Metis continues laughing at Theia. "Honey, I'm anything but a prude. Besides, human's don't interest me very much. Especially, the males. No thanks." The older asari waves her hand in a dismissive manner in Theia's direction.

Vel joins Biekka at the table and grabs a random ration pack and heats the package before she eats it. The commandos relax and rib on each other for most of the afternoon. Each asari knows their assignments for the next few days. Vel and Metis are staying at the camp while Biekka and Theia are in town. Tomorrow night it's Metis and Vel's turn to scout out the city of Vicuña. They'll continue to rotate nights and after a few nights, they'll change partners, to try to keep their target off-balance.

Rented Cottage

Leia and Hannah Shepard sit outside on the back patio while Liara T'Soni and Karin Chakwas clean up from lunch. It's been too long since mother and daughter spent any quality time together. Even in silence, they enjoy each other's company. Hannah pats Leia on the arm, "Are you okay, kiddo?"

Captain Shepard tries not to chuckle at being called 'kiddo', but isn't very successful. "No, mom, I'm not. I'm alive, Liara's alive, you're alive, most of my friends are..." She pauses when thinks about EDI, Anderson, Mordin, Thane, and the others who died fighting the Reapers. "...alive. Maybe I have survivor's guilt, I don't know. I am glad Liara contacted Karin. It's a nice surprise. Thanks for coming."

"Come on, let's go for a walk on the beach." Hannah stands, slides the chair back under the table, grabs her daughter's arm. Admiral Shepard has on some fun in the sun attire. She is wearing her one-piece swimsuit under her t-shirt and shorts, and a pair of sandals designed to wear on the beach

Leia is still in her casual Alliance uniform. She follows her mother and they walk away from the cottage and closer to the waves gently crashing along the shore. Mother and daughter walk in silence. Hannah has questions for Leia, but is unsure when to ask them. Leia is having a hard enough time talking to Liara, talking to mom is even harder. The younger Shepard forces the lump in her throat down when she says, "Mom, I don't think I made the right choice." That is all she manages to say. She is still trying to formulate the words to explain what she means.

Hannah places her arm around Leia's shoulder. She rubs her daughter's upper arm. "What choice are you referring to?"

Shepard stops walking, stares ahead, and blinks her eyes. She closes them as she says, "On the Citadel," she opens her eyes again. "I...I..." Leia can't finish saying her thought or look at her mother. She looks out towards the horizon instead. The water does look inviting, but she isn't wearing her swimsuit.

Admiral Shepard sense Leia's uneasiness and doesn't press her on it. Hannah can't imagine the things her daughter did to end the war. She's read a few reports here and there, but doesn't know everything. She removes her shirt and shorts and runs towards the water. Hannah stops when the water is waist deep, she looks at Leia, who is still standing on the shore. Waving for her daughter to join her, she yells out, "It feels great. Join me, Leia."

"I don't have my suit on, mom," replies Leia.

"So, what you're wearing is designed to get wet," comments Hannah.

"It gets heavy when it's wet." Captain Shepard has her arms crossed and is shaking her head.

Hannah shakes her head, chuckling. "You're N7."

"I'm on shore leave," remarks the younger Shepard with her arms stretch out in a dramatic fashion.

"Fine, stay on the sand. I'm going to enjoy the water, Leia Shepard." Hannah wades through the waves until the ocean floor is deeper than she is in height then she swims several strokes before turning and heading south to swim along the coast line.

Leia sits on the sand so she can watch her mother swim in the Atlantic. Her eyes follow Hannah's movements, but her mind is else where. That's mom, why can't I talk to my own mother? She's military, she would understand as much as Liara does. Tell her, get it over with. The sooner, the better. Maybe then I can actually put it in the past. I hope so anyway. I hate feeling like I do. Absolutely hate it. Shepard balls up her right hand and releases it. Without realizing it, she continues to ball her hand and release it.

Dr. T'Soni and Dr. Chakwas join Captain Shepard. Liara brings a few towels and sets them down next to Hannah's clothes before she sits to Shepard's right. Karin sits on a towel with her arms around her bend knees. "Liara, you never cease to amaze me. First, the bungalows in Chile and now this." She points to the ocean. "And who knew the Captain could cook?"

"Hey!" remarks Shepard as she grins at Dr. Chakwas. "I've gotten some practice lately. How hard it to make a salad, Karin? Liara cooked the fish." Leia grabs a towel when she notices Hannah getting out of the water. She tosses the towel to her mother when Hannah gets closer.

Catching the towel, Hannah says, "Thanks." She starts drying herself off. "The water is perfect."

"Mom, please, sit." With Liara sitting next to her and Dr. Chakwas to her left, Leia attempts to talk about what is bothering her. What bothers her more than anything is her inability to let her talk with the Catalyst go. It still haunts her. His form haunts her as much as his words. She'll never move on if she doesn't talk about it.

Leia doesn't start talking until Hannah sits down. She sits facing Leia and near Chakwas. Dr. Chakwas moves to face Captain Shepard. Leia reaches out and grabs the asari's hand. Their finger intertwine. "I know why Liara asked you both to come. I have lots of guilt over my decisions on the Citadel. I feel responsible for Admiral Anderson's death." Leia doesn't look at anyone, but does look between her mother and the medical doctor. There is a shipping vessel leaving the port in Rio headed to who knows where.

"I am having nightmares again. Reliving the battle in London and my talk with both the Illusive Man and the Catalyst on the Citadel. I am unable to let it go. I'm haunted by the dead. I hear them whispering to me. The civilians whisper my name. My friends...I hear what they said to me at one point or another." Shepard lets go of Liara's hand to cover her face with both hands and starts crying.

Liara rubs her back, but remains silent. She hates seeing Leia like this. The asari will do everything in her power to help her bondmate through this. There are things that still haunt her too. Mostly watching Thessia fall with Kai Leng taking the Prothean VI, Vendetta, with him. And the screeching Banshees. She isn't having nightmares about it. Which she is grateful for.

Captain Shepard grabs a towel and begins to wipe the tears from her face. "I fear I may have made a mistake. And it won't be felt for generations to come." It's her final statement on the topic.

Hannah nods her head, but remains silent. She's seen the look Leia is exhibiting in many other marines in her years in the navy. The look of a soldier who has seen too much and is having a hard time handling it. The last person Hannah ever thought would show signs of PTSD is her daughter. Then again, Leia also has been on the front line fighting the Reapers since Eden Prime. She has read reports, heard things from those Leia recruited to help build the Crucible. Hannah can only imagine the pressure on her daughter's shoulders. Going from being under house arrest and grounded to uniting a galaxy to fight together against an enemy millions of years old.

The Admiral's military instincts kick in and she keeps her emotions in a stoic state. Hannah wants to know what Leia is talking about. What did the Catalyst say to her? Or the Illusive Man? Did the Crucible cause the Citadel to explode and knock out the mass relays as a result? Did the teams working on the Crucible miss something? Hannah has not seen her daughter's report about it. She isn't even sure if Leia has filled out a report on it.

The elder Shepard reaches out and touches the top of Leia's head then moves to her shoulder. "From the reports I've read, I don't think you made a mistake. Neither does anyone else. Whether it's the Alliance or any of the other governments. The good will you brought by uniting the galaxy will continue. You've done amazing things." She stops herself from calling Leia 'kiddo'. Her motherly instinct is slowly kicking in.

Dr. Chakwas suggests, "We should get you inside, Shepard."

Leia Shepard nods once to the medical doctor then gets off the ground, brushes the sand off her pants the best she can, and heads to the cottage. Liara, Hannah, and Karin follow the Captain with Hannah grabbing her clothes and the towels. It's early afternoon, but Captain Shepard feels like a nap. But at the same time, she's afraid she'll have another nightmare like the one from last night. A nightmare so real, so haunting, she couldn't wake from it. She's happy her mother is with them. She's even happier, Liara contacted Dr. Chakwas. It feels good knowing Liara is looking after her. Leia just wishes she didn't need Liara to look after her.

When they get back inside, Leia whispers something into Liara's ear. Shepard taps Chakwas on the shoulder then motions with her head to follow her into the bedroom. Once inside the bedroom, Shepard says, "Doctor Chakwas, I'm glad you're here." Leia sits on the bed. "I'm afraid to sleep. Especially after what happened last night." A grins appears when she thinks about how Liara woke her up. "Liara tossed water in my face because it was the only way she could wake me."

Dr. Chakwas listens to Shepard. The first thing she does is scan the Captain's implants. They are functioning normally. Karin does another scan to verify the first scan. Again, the scan reads everything is normal. Chakwas sits next to her friend, "Shepard, I've never seen you like this before. I honestly think you need to talk to someone. I can help you sleep, but I'm not really trained to help you through this. I'm a trauma surgeon, not a psychologist "

"I know, Karin. One minute I'm fine, the next I'm a mess. I can't function this way and it's not fair to Liara. I can not put what happened on the Citadel behind me. I have a lot of doubt in my decisions. I would like to keep this off my service record if possible," replies Captain Shepard. Leia decides to skip her nap. She says, "I think we might be missed." A hint of a grin appears on Shepard's face.

"Captain," says Dr. Chakwas as she places her hand on Shepard's shoulder. "I'll try to find someone you can talk to. Shepard, give yourself time. And you are correct, we probably are missed."

"Thank you, doctor." replies Leia before she opens the bedroom door to join her mother and her bondmate in the living room.

Dr. Chakwas goes to the kitchen to get something to drink. Leia stops, tilts her head to the left, with a smirk on her face watching her mom and Liara talking. There is a positive vibe in the air and it's from Hannah and Liara. Karin joins Leia and hands the Captain a glass of tea. "I'm the luckiest person in the galaxy, Karin. Look at them. They get along great."

"We're all lucky, Shepard. You coming?" asks Karin when she walks to a chair in the living room.

Leia grins and watches the people who matter to her the most. Maybe things aren't so bad. Reminder to self, I'm not alone. I have people I can lean on. Liara's pregnant and I need my head on straight so I can be there when she needs me. I know she will in the months to come. I'm going to be a dad. Dad. I like the sound of that. We need to tell them. I want to tell them. The asari looks over her shoulder at the red-haired human, who waves her hand as a signal for Liara to join her. When Liara gets close enough, Leia whispers, "We need to tell them."

"Tell them what?" Liara is being coy with a flirtatious grin on her blue lips.

Shepard folds her arms across her chest and shifts her weight from one foot to the other, "Huh uh."

Grinning from ear to ear, Liara grabs Shepard's hand and leads her to the living room where Hannah and Karin are sitting. T'Soni holds her love's hand and gives it a tender squeeze, which causes Shepard's thumb to caress Liara's hand. The couple stands behind the couch. The asari says, "I...no...we..."

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and had a great weekend.

Yes, I know some of you want Shepard to be happy. This story has several more chapters yet, so plenty of time for Leia to get her head on straight and let go of what she can't change.

Next chapter is Thursday. I finally finished editing all the chapters and now I can focus on new stories. I think I'm going to work on a few shorts before tackling another multiple chapter story. And the shorts are going to bounce from Shepard/Liara/kids to Kaja/Cass/kids.