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 13

Liara watched Shepard leave the cabin on her mysterious errand. She was feeling just a bit petulant that Shepard wouldn't tell her where she was going. She had agents all over Illium and could easily have Shepard followed. But, she reasoned, if Shepard didn't want her to know then she should respect Shepard's wishes. She thought that Shepard's secrecy must mean that it was some sort of surprise for her and she didn't want to ruin the surprise. Following that line of thought, Liara decided that she should surprise Shepard with something. Of course, that would mean shopping. While she did promise Shepard that she wouldn't leave the Normandy alone, she didn't promise that she wouldn't leave in the company of Jack, Kasumi and Tali. She did tell Jack that they would go shopping once they arrived on Illium and if they happened to run into Shepard, it would be a pleasant coincidence. She could also stop by her office to find out if the Justicar had been located. Until they knew where to find her, they were left with not much to do other than stock up on supplies. Miranda and Jacob were busy taking care of those purchases today. Liara, feeling slightly guilty, dressed and left the cabin to find Tali, Kasumi and Jack.

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Liara had no difficulty convincing Tali or Kasumi to join her. Quarians seldom found themselves on Illium and Tali wasn't going to squander this opportunity. Kasumi loved to shop so there was no holding her back. Jack, on the other hand, wasn't thrilled but did agree in the end when Liara told her that Shepard probably wouldn't approve. When they reached the airlock, Grunt and Garrus fell into step behind them. Liara, immediately suspicious, turned to Garrus who stepped back when he saw the look on her face.

"Garrus, where are you going?"

"Well, uh, Shepard said…I mean, she asked us to accompany you if you left because, well, she's worried that something might happen. You know, after what happened at the Citadel and here…when those men tried to take you." Garrus stood looking at Liara hoping she would just accept the inevitable because there was no way he was letting her leave without him. Shepard would kill him if he let Liara out of his sight.

Liara's gaze shifted from Garrus to Grunt who was standing with his arms crossed looking like he just hoped something would happen so he could hurt someone. She could hear Tali trying, unsuccessfully, to hold in a laugh.

Sometimes Garrus wished that the old Liara would come out for just a little while, especially when it made his life easier. "Liara, what would happen to Shepard if something happened to you? You've lived through… that." He knew it was a low blow to remind Liara of Shepard's death but if it convinced her to let him and Grunt tag along and it kept her safe then he felt that it was justified.

Liara stared at Garrus. She wanted to be angry but he was right. Her face softened as she stepped closer to Garrus and wrapped her arms around him. "You're right, Garrus. I hope you're up for shopping." With that, Liara turned and left the ship. Tali, Kasumi and Jack caught up to her quickly while Garrus and Grunt who was mumbling about females followed behind.

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Shepard tucked her purchase in her pocket as she left the store. She was very happy with the work the jeweler had done. She had a list of things she needed to do while she had time away from Liara. She was fairly certain that Liara wouldn't be so agreeable if she tried to be so secretive again. She grinned wondering if Liara had discovered that Garrus and Grunt would be following her around if she left the Normandy. Shepard knew, without a doubt, that Liara would contrive some reason to leave the ship. She made a few purchases then decided it was finally time for a haircut. Her hair was much longer than she normally wore it. It had grown unchecked while she was unconscious. After she woke up and was safely aboard the Normandy, she asked Kelly to cut several inches from the length because it was in her way but gave no thought to doing anything else to the unruly mess. Now, it mattered to her that it look nice for Liara, for the special night she was planning for them. After completing her shopping, Shepard headed for a public transport station. She turned a corner and saw Liara, Kasumi, Tali and Jack walking in her direction. Garrus and Grunt were trailing behind laden with bags and looking disgusted with the way their day had turned out. Shepard, unable to keep the grin off her face, ducked behind the nearest door. As her team passed, she could see Liara looking around, a puzzled expression on her face. Shepard wondered if Liara could sense that she was nearby like she could before her…before the nightmare that separated them for two years. As they moved further away from her location, Shepard emerged from the store where she had taken refuge and took a taxi to Liara's apartment.

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It was just after lunch when Liara and the others returned to the Normandy. Liara was disappointed that Shepard wasn't back yet. She was also getting a little worried. She had stopped by her office and was pleased to learn that the Justicar had been seen on Illium. It would take very little for Liara to track her down now. As much as she would rather avoid a conversation with Miranda, she felt that she owed it to her as the second in command to let her know that they should be able to make contact with the Justicar soon. Liara had doubts that Samara would agree to help them and very real fears that, if she did agree, she would, at some point, feel obligated to kill someone because of her damn code. Liara had tried to explain to Shepard the danger of traveling with a Justicar and their blind devotion to their code but Shepard seemed to think that those obstacles could be overcome. When Liara reached Miranda's office, she squared her shoulders and took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Miranda, do you have a minute?"

"Dr. T'Soni. I'm glad you're here. I wanted to talk with you. Please, have a seat." Miranda watched Liara closely as she crossed the room and took a seat across from her. "How can I help you?"

Liara was surprised at the almost pleasant tone in Miranda's voice. "Since Shepard is not currently aboard, I wanted to inform you as XO that I went by my office this morning. My agents have confirmed that the Justicar is on Illium. It should take only a matter of minutes to track her down once we are ready."

"Thank you, Dr. T'Soni. I appreciate that you took the time to inform me. I will speak with the Commander when she returns. If you have a few minutes I would like to ask you about something."

Liara was feeling off balance at Miranda's attitude toward her. Their relationship had been hostile at best since Shepard had come back to her. "Of course…and Miranda, call me Liara."

Miranda nodded her head and proceeded to ask Liara about the facilities Shepard had claimed were Cerberus facilities and the horrid experiments they were performing on humans. "Liara, Shepard told me about several facilities she closed down during her hunt for Saren. She said these facilities were Cerberus and that they were participating in vile experiments with humans. I don't doubt that Shepard believes this to be the case but I wonder if there is any possibility she could be mistaken about Cerberus involvement. You were with her then. Do you also believe these were Cerberus facilities?"

Liara did not break eye contact with Miranda as she answered. "Miranda, those facilities were Cerberus. The Cerberus insignia was plastered on everything. The guards were wearing Cerberus armor. The data we took clearly implicated Cerberus as the agency carrying out those experiments. Unfortunately, that data was destroyed when the Normandy was destroyed. Shepard is not mistaken."

Miranda wasn't surprised that Liara agreed with Shepard but she was surprised that she actually believed them. She had spent most of the adult years of her life with Cerberus. They had protected her from her father, helped her keep her sister safe and provided her with money & resources to accomplish what no one had ever accomplished. Cerberus was not only her job; it was the center of her entire world. She would never have believed the Illusive Man would condone such experiments but after she had actually located the files on the facilities that Shepard had mentioned in the Cerberus database and had been unable to access them due to lack of security clearance, Miranda started having doubts. She had the highest level security clearance of any Cerberus operative other than the Illusive Man and should have been able to access any file in the database. She would need to go outside of Cerberus channels to confirm her suspicions. With her resources as an information broker, Liara would be invaluable in finding the information but Miranda was reluctant to trust her. She wanted her investigation to remain secret. If the Illusive Man found out she was delving into secret Cerberus operations, he would be furious. Looking across her desk at Liara, Miranda decided to trust her. Her reputation as an information broker was beyond reproach and she protected her client's identities without fail. "Liara, I find myself in need of an information broker. Would you be interested?"

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Shepard arrived back at the Normandy soon after Liara. She went straight to her cabin but found only a pile of bags covering the bed. She removed Liara's gift from her pocket and stashed it where it would be safe from Liara finding it. She had planned on a shower and late lunch until she asked EDI where Liara was located and learned that she was currently in Miranda's office. After their last encounter, Shepard didn't completely trust the two would behave civilly toward one another. She quickly left her quarters, took the elevator to deck 3 and knocked at Miranda's door. When she entered, she found Liara and Miranda having a conversation…no yelling, no biotics, no weapons…just a conversation.

Liara and Miranda came to an agreement over Liara's fee for the job Miranda hired her to complete. Liara had refused any payment. She hated Cerberus and would gladly provide her services to get information that would reveal the agencies true purpose to the rest of the galaxy. When Shepard entered the room, Liara could feel the smile spread across her face. She crossed the room, took Shepard's hand and led her to a chair by the desk.

Shepard, looking from Liara to Miranda, was certain that they were keeping something from her. "What's going on?"

Liara explained that she should be able to easily locate the Justicar who was now confirmed to be on Illium. Shepard knew there was more but shrugged her shoulders. She wanted to have some lunch then go have a talk with the Justicar. Shepard and Liara left Miranda's office, grabbed some lunch and took it to their cabin to eat.

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When they reached the cabin, Liara took the tray of food from Shepard and placed it on the table. She took Shepard's hand, led her to the bed which she cleared with a sweep of her arm and pulled Shepard down on top of her.

"Your hair looks nice. And sexy. I missed you."

Shepard looked at the bags now strewn across the floor. "It looks like you found something to keep you busy."

Liara started to nibble on Shepard's ear sending shivers down her back. "Garrus and Grunt were not pleased to spend their morning shopping. Thank you for making sure I was safe."

Shepard's eyes were closed in pleasure as Liara kissed her neck. "I saw Grunt's face this morning. I'm not sure you'll be safe from him if you make him go shopping again."

"What do you mean you saw his face this morning? Were you near the taxi dock watching us?"

"Maybe."

Liara playfully hit Shepard on the shoulder. "I knew you were close. I could sense you. Why were you hiding from me?"

"I had places to go, things to do." Shepard's lips found Liara's neck causing a low moan deep in Liara's throat.

Liara, eyes darker than the infinite void of space, clutched Shepard tightly to her as their minds joined.

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Shepard and Liara, their uneaten lunch still on the table, were both in armor when they left the cabin. Liara's agents had located Samara and provided her with the name of an Illium security officer who would be their contact. She was apparently assisting in an investigation of the local Eclipse mercenaries. They met Tali at the airlock and proceeded to the tracking station to speak with Officer Dara who gave them Samara's location. Arriving at the location, they spoke with another officer, Anaya, who authorized them to enter the crime scene. She also told them that her superior wanted her take the Justicar into custody before she caused a political crisis by killing someone who broke her code. Officer Anaya knew that if she intervened and tried to take the Justicar into custody, she would likely be killed. Shepard knew she had to get to Samara quickly to avoid losing her chance at recruiting her. Once at the crime scene, they dispatched a handful of the mercenaries and quickly found Samara. Her battle senses heightened after clearing the warehouse of mercenaries, Samara was ready to unleash a ball of biotic energy at them. Liara immediately shielded them and threatened with her own ball of dark energy. Shepard managed to explain who they were and what they wanted. In the end, Samara agreed to help them if Shepard could find the name of the ship the Eclipse mercs used to get the criminal she was chasing off planet. Samara went with Officer Anaya while Shepard, Tali and Liara gained access to the Eclipse base. Moving through the base, they killed the mercs they came across and examined every console and data pad until they found the name of the ship Samara needed. They returned to the security station where Officer Anaya was nervously spending time with Samara. Shepard handed the data pad with the name of the ship to Samara who looked at Shepard in fascination. She then did something that few Justicars had ever done and swore an oath to serve Shepard on her mission. Liara bristled at the way Samara was looking at Shepard as they left to return to the Normandy.

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Back on the Normandy, Jacob helped Samara get settled while Shepard and Liara ate a quick dinner then returned to their cabin. Shepard knew something was bothering Liara. She had been patient during dinner, hoping Liara would talk to her.

Liara was sitting at her console deep in thought as Shepard undressed and got into bed. "You've been quiet…everything okay?

"I don't like the way Samara looks at you. She is interested in more than helping with the mission. I have never heard of a Justicar swearing such an oath to anyone. I am ashamed that I feel jealous of her."

Shepard's heart swelled when she looked at Liara. This insecurity was something she had seen in Liara before she was left alone and forced to harden her emotions to survive as an information broker. Shepard loved Liara now more than ever but sometimes she missed the innocence of the scientist she fell in love with within minutes of seeing her on Therum. Shepard had noticed the way Samara looked at her and was afraid that Liara actually thought she would encourage the Justicar or do something to harm their relationship. "Come to bed, sweetheart."

Liara settled herself beside Shepard with her head resting on Shepard's shoulder. Shepard hugged her close. "Have you noticed how Jack looks at you?"

Liara lifted her head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Jack looks at you like she would do anything to have your attention."

Liara started to protest then realized that she had noticed Jack looking at her strangely. She was also less angry around her. "It's not the same, Shepard. Samara is a matriarch with centuries of… experience. When a matriarch wants someone, they get them."

Shepard held Liara tighter. She was relieved to know that Liara's doubts were not centered on her but on the allure of an Asari matriarch, an allure that had no effect on Shepard. "Liara, my heart and soul belong to you. I love you, only you and always you."

Choked with emotion, Liara pressed herself against Shepard. "I love you too, baby."