Liara, being ahead of Shepard, checked into the hotel first. After her bags were delivered to the room, she entered and examined the space. It wasn't the most luxurious room, but she had convinced Shepard not to get the least expensive room to give them some privacy. However, to keep their relationship secret to the others as much as possible, Shepard still rented the least expensive room they had. There was a small common space in the room, a fairly large vid screen surrounded by rather comfortable looking furniture, a kitchen that featured every appliance she could ever think of, a full bathroom, and a spacious single bedroom. Deciding that she'd eventually using everything in the apartment, she headed into the bedroom and gently slid onto the soft sheets on the king sized bed. A small groan escaped from her as she sank into the form fitting mattress, reveling in its comfort compared to the furnishings of the Normandy. However, after several minutes of sleep eluding her, she gave up on the idea of taking a nap while waiting for Shepard.

Getting up from the bed, Liara made her way way over to the window, leaning against the corner wall to take in the view. While astonishingly beautiful to look out at the rest of the Citadel and Presidium, she also felt agonizingly alone in that moment. While she knew that Shepard would be with her shortly, her mother's death still hadn't completely settled with her. While she no longer cried when she thought about it, a void still existed within her that she knew only time would heal. I should do something productive, Liara thought. She did not want these negative feelings around, and thought perhaps working on something would distract her enough to forget for a while.

She continued staring out of the window for several minutes, thinking of something she could do, when her eyes gazed to The Consort's chambers. Instantly she was reminded of her promise to Shepard to look into their bond more, and knew that Sha'ira would be able to help her. And I could use her guidance with mother. Liara started for the door, but only made it to the common room before she stopped. What if Zoe arrives and I am not here? she thought. Biting her lower lip, she searched around the apartment for a datapad, but only found a sheet of paper and a pen. Hastily writing a note to Shepard explaining she would be gone, and that she would be talking to Sha'ira, she left it on the kitchen counter and left the room.

Aidan woke up after resting for a couple of hours and felt completely refreshed. Once his mind started to catch up, however, he began to panic thinking that he missed dinner. Shit, she probably put a lot of effort into it. Opening the door, his panic turned into anticipation as he was greeted by the most mouth watering smell he had ever experienced. I guess she wasn't kidding when she said it would take a while. Grateful, he exited the bedroom and headed for the kitchen.

"Refreshed?" Kyrie asked with a warm smile, tinkering with several pots that were not there when Aidan had went to sleep.

"Very," he replied. Taking a long, exaggerated sniff of the food, he couldn't wait for it to be ready. "If this tastes half as good as it smells I might send end my tenure on the Normandy sooner than expected." He knew that he wouldn't, but with Kyrie putting so much effort into things for him he felt that she deserved some flattery.

"Don't get my hopes up, it's rude," Kyrie said, though the big smile afterward let Aidan know she was joking. She did blush at his compliment, though, and focused in on her cooking to hide it the best she could.

"You still haven't told me what this all is," Aidan said. At this point, he figured something that smelled this good would taste good regardless. He only wanted to know what it was so he could ask for it again. He hadn't ever had a nice, home-cooked meal before, mostly having eaten scrounged up scraps microwaved on a plate to pass for a meal. To him, this was a luxury meal and one that he would thoroughly enjoy.

"Oh, a mixture of this and that," Kyrie said. "There's an assortment of Thessian vegetables mixted together in a soup, a couple of seared fish from a large lake near Armali, fruit, and kankos." While she did not normally cook this much, she wanted to impress Aidan and show him how serious she was about him.

Walking up behind Kyrie to inspect everything, Aidan's stomach began to growl in anticipation. Everything looked amazing to him, the kind of food he would only see on the billboards and magazine advertisements. "This looks amazing."

"Thank you, now go sit," Kyrie commanded, pulling out two plates and placing food on them. She grabbed some wine glasses and brought over her bottle of Thessia Red. Setting everything down, she took her seat next to Aidan and poured him some wine.

"Thank you," he said, eyeing the food. Suddenly unsure of what to do, he felt extremely awkward. "So, uhh, do you usually say prayers before you eat?" he asked. Aidan cursed his lack of social skills, especially at a time like this.

"No, you can eat," Kyrie laughed. She watched as Aidan immediately started digging into the food, trying a bit of everything at once. At one point she thought he would choke from eating too fast. Satisfied that Aidan liked the food, she settled in and started eating as well, enjoying the benefits of her hard work. When she looked back over to Aidan's plate, she was surprised to see that he had already downed everything. "How did you eat that so fast?!"

"It was amazing," Aidan replied. "I've never tasted anything like it. Truth be told this is my first real home-cooked meal." He looked longingly over at the kitchen, then back at his empty plate. "Now I wish I hadn't gone so fast."

"There's plenty more, help yourself. Try to go slower this time," Kyrie said with a wink. When Aidan returned with more food, a question popped into her mind. I don't know if I should ask, she thought. She didn't want to sour the mood, but a part of her wished to know. "Aidan, I have a question."

Hearing the seriousness in her voice, Aidan put down his fork and gave Kyrie is undivided attention. "Ask away," he said.

"Is this really your first home meal?" she asked. She knew that Aidan didn't have a regular childhood, but she had only seen bits and pieces of it in her meld with him. To think that he had been deprived of everything she had considered normal was unthinkable, and she hated the world for being so cruel to him.

"It is, but I think there's another question that you want to ask," Aidan said gently. Placing his hand gently on Kyrie's leg, he gave a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay, as it."

Kyrie wished at that moment that she hadn't brought it up, feeling like she was imposing, but she couldn't back out of it now. "What about Alexandria?" she asked in a very soft, shaky voice. However, Aidan surprised her when he smiled at her name, rather than wearing a grim look like he usually did.

"We never really got around to it, never had a place to live," he said. "Most of the time we were on a military base, and if not in a hotel. Most of our meals were at restaurants." Aidan smiled at all the memories of them walking around and finding random restaurants in the various places he and Alexandria were posted, some good and some... not so good. God, I haven't thought about those times in years. Kyrie is amazing, I'm finally alive again. Turning his focus back to her, his smile turned into a concerned frown when he saw she was crying. Scooting closer, he lifted a hand to wipe the tears away. "Hey, why are you crying?"

Kyrie just shook her head and gave him a heart-felt smile and brought her hands up to his cheeks. "I am smiling because just now I saw you without any pain on your face, and you looked at peace. I just wish that it was me that put it there." She knew it sounded completely selfish and childlike, but she loved Aidan dearly and desperately wanted to help mend his wounded soul. For now, she would settle on knowing that her influence was allowing Aidan to remember happy times again.

It was that moment, those words from Kyrie that finally broke the last of Aidan's hesitation. He finally felt ready for a true relationship, and he knew that she was perfect. Instead of using words, Aidan gently cupped Kyrie's face and leaned in, pausing only for a fleeting moment to make sure she could back out if she wished. When she didn't, it was all the confirmation he needed and the rest of the gap disappeared as they captured each other's lips.

Kyrie gasped slightly, but continued the gentle kiss that she had waited so long for. All other concerns left her mind in that moment, and only herself and Aidan remained. She had just started to move in to deepen the kiss when her door chime rang. The two of them reluctantly separated, and Kyrie could feel her heart beating against her chest. Ducking her head slightly, she let out a disappointed sigh. "I should get that."

"I'm not going anywhere," Aidan replied.

Still giddy, Kyrie half skipped to the door and opened the vid-screen to see who would bother her at this time. Her jaw dropped when she saw Tevos and her mother standing just on the other side of the door.

"I do not understand, how do these bonds form?" Liara asked. For the past hour she had been talking with Sha'ira about everything that had been going on with her. The false accusations of her conspiring with her mother, Noveria, killing her mother, and now... her relationship with Shepard.

"They just do, Little Wing," Sha'ira replied softly. "Nobody knows why or how, they just know that it happens. Not everyone develops these bonds, however. It just... happens. I wish I had more to tell you."

The researcher within Liara was a bit disappointed at the lack of answers, but accepted that Sha'ira would tell her if she knew more. "So I will be able to feel her emotions, and the same for her?" she asked. The thought both excited and troubled Liara. Knowing and feeling Shepard thrilled her, but at the same time scared her with the lack of privacy and potential consequences.

"Potentially. Each bond is unique in both strength and composition," Sha'ira said. "For some, they will only get tiny hints of what the other is feeling, and only in close proximity. Others will know and feel exactly what their bondmate is going through, and can tell from quite a distance away from each other. There are also some... extreme cases as well."

"How extreme?" The more Liara heard, her fear began to grow further. She did not want to potentially place Shepard in harms way, or have her worry about ignoring her feelings to protect them from each other.

"It has only been documented twice, and both were extremely fascinating and frightening. As I told you, the bond is only limited to emotions, and the degree to which you feel them varies. In these cases, they could feel not only the other's emotions in full, but their pain and pleasure as well." Seeing the frightened look on Liara's face, she got up and poured a quick drink for her, which was swiftly downed the instant the glass hit Liara's hand. "They could feel each other from planets away, occasionally catching faint glimpses when they were on opposite sides of the galaxy."

"What happened?" Liara asked. Such a connection frightened her beyond all belief, but the idea of it sounded extraordinarily romantic at the same time.

"One couple managed to live a full life and die together happily of old age. The other... was not so lucky," Sha'ira said in a sad tone. "Her name was Narissa. She served in a commando unit that often went on extremely dangerous assignments. Her lover constantly protested against it, but knew that Narissa loved what she did and did not hold it against her. Her last assignment went sour... and she ended up being captured, tortured, and eventually died from the pain inflicted upon her."

Liara covered her mouth, just imagining Shepard being captured and killed, not being able to do anything about it. She made a mental note to throw herself into Shepard's arms and never let go. "That is horrible. I could not even imagine it."

"Be glad that you cannot," Sha'ira said sternly. "Narissa's lover felt and experienced every single moment of it, up until the moment she died as well." Turning to Liara and placing a comforting hand over hers, she smiled. "I tell you this not to frighten you, but to tell you that what you think the bond can become is extremely rare. While it may be faint now, bonds to grow over time, but only to a certain point, as well as your control over what you share. You have a gift with a wonderful person, enjoy it."

Liara shook her head, grateful that she decided to visit her friend. She felt relieved and more able to inform Shepard of their connection. Liara opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it closed, confusion setting in as she felt a strange feeling within her.

"What is it, Liara?" Sha'ira asked, noticing the change in expression.

"I do not know," Liara said. The feeling started to gain strength, and Liara felt her blood starting to pump harder, and her fists unconsciously clinched. Looking up worriedly at Sha'ira, she feared Shepard was in trouble. "I believe that Shepard is in trouble."

Shepard arrived at the hotel after getting held up by people wanting autographs and reporters harassing her. Some time alone to relax with Liara should be just the trick, she thought with a smile. She quickly checked into both of her rooms, ignoring the strange look the clerk gave her, and headed up to the room her and Liara would share. Upon entering the room, she was surprised to find that Liara was not there. Taking off her leather jacket she placed it on the couch and headed to the kitchen. Noticing a piece of paper, she made her way over to the counter and picked it up. Looking it over, she saw it was from Liara.

Zoe,

I needed to step out for a while. I am going to see Sha'ira to to receive some guidance. I am sorry if I do not arrive before you get this, but know that this is something I need to do, and you do not need to worry. I will see you later.

Love,

Liara

Shepard put the note down and let out a long sigh. She had been looking forward to finally being alone with Liara. She understood that Liara would need time on her own to process and get through everything she experienced recently. Deciding that rather than be in the hotel room all alone until Liara got back, she would go to the bar and work off some steam. Picking up her jacket, she scribbled at the bottom of the note that she would be getting drinks and for Liara to call her when she was back. Satisfied, she headed out the door in search of a bar.

It didn't take her long to find a bar near the hotel, and she found the darkest corner she could. Settling in to the darkest corner she could, she eased back into the booth and immediately felt comfortable. While Liara and the Normandy crew had a drastic effect in changing her, old habits died hard and she still felt the anger within her at times. Ordering some whiskey, she sulked in the shadows and looked at everything around her.

All around, people were fumbling around in ignorance. Dancing, laughing, some crying, just going about their business. The news showed what colonies and galactic stocks were up and down, this and that. It all made her sick. Shepard knew about the Reapers, the fate of the Protheans, and what was about to come to the galaxy. The fate of trillions of lives were at stake, and here she was not able to do anything and on vacation. It sickened her, if she were being honest with herself. The only way she would enjoy it would be if Liara were beside her.

Looking down and seeing that she had already finished all the whiskey brought to her, she figured it wasn't a good idea that she went to a bar alone. Grabbing her jacket, she got up and left the bar. Her already soured mood turned even worse when she was met by Khalisah al-Jilani. Audibly groaning, she tried to push past the woman, but to no avail.

"Commander Shepard! Khalisah al-Jilani!" the woman shouted.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck it all to hell. "I know who the hell you are. What do you want?" Just keep your cool, the woman likes to stir up shit.

"Commander Shepard, word has gotten out about some of your recent... activities. Care to comment?"

Sheaprd rubbed her temples, desperately wanting to go lay down. "What the hell are you talking about Khalisah?"

"Rumor has it 'The Butcher' murdered several human civilian biotics at a peaceful compound on Presrop. What do you have to say for yourself?" There was a spark in Khalisah's eye as she saw Shepard physically tense up, and pressed a couple of keys on her omni-tool to capture any potentially juicy action.

Shepard clinched her fists and ground her teeth together. It took every ounce of self-control to keep her from hitting the woman. However, something told her that it wasn't worth it and she let it go, she had paid her price for what she did, and she knew she was justified in doing so. Taking a deep breath and shaking out her hands, she turned and walked away, weaving through the crowd of people to put some distance between them. Seeing some more reporters standing in front of her hotel, she redirected down an alley. Halfway down, she realized she had made a mistake.

"Hello, Shepard," abatarian said out of a corner.

It just keeps getting worse. "The fuck do you want, Korlac?" She already had an idea of what was about to happen. Stumble upon the leader of a slaver ring that you had busted up while he was away, and the meeting won't be pleasant.

"Payback," Korlac replied. "My son was at that base, you heartless bitch."

Just stay cool. "Don't do anything stupid," Shepard said. She really wanted to just get back to the hotel and Liara. Getting into a fight with some batarian slavers was the last thing she needed.

"Too late for that."

Shepard had little time to react before she heard some rustling behind her, barely moving out of the way of a battle blade. Maneuvering to a position where she could see all of them, she counted five of them in total. I guess I have no choice. Reaching down to her boots she pulled out two combat knives and readied herself. "Just remember, you asked for this."