The hardest part of coming back from the dead was finding out everything she had lost. Most things could be replaced, eventually… Most Alliance soldiers traveled light by necessity due to weight restrictions on the ships on which they served. Shepard was no exception. Even most of what had been in her apartment on the Citadel had been clothes. But the things she couldn't replace had been on the Normandy when it was destroyed.

Her N7 armor was one of them. The set that Cerberus had provided her with was more than adequate, but it wasn't the second skin that her old suit had become. She found her helmet amidst the wreckage of the Normandy, and it now sat on her desk along with a few other mementos she'd collected.

But there were things she was missing that she hadn't been able to find in the rubble. The picture of her and Liara from their first real date- she didn't have a data backup of that one since Liara had been the one to capture it, so now one of just the asari had taken its place on her desk. Her model ships, though she could replace those with enough time. Her dog tags. The ring and bonding bracelets that she had commissioned the night she and Liara had bonded, that she'd been robbed of the opportunity to present to her bondmate.

For that reason alone, Shepard had decided, the Collectors would atone. But even that wasn't the most precious thing that she had lost when the Normandy went down in flames. That distinction was awarded to the connection that had made her Liara's bondmate in the first place, that part of her mind that for those few blissful weeks had always been subtly abuzz with a connection that had turned into something akin to breath itself.

The amount of physical pain that Shepard had experienced the first time she had awoken, trying to croak Liara's name with vocal chords and tongue that hadn't been used in two years, was nothing compared to the emotional pain that had torn its way through her when she had realized that connection was gone. And if that hadn't been enough, the Illusive Man had all but barred her from even trying to find Liara or the rest of her squad, citing reasons that seemed legitimate on the surface, but somehow struck Shepard with a sense of insincerity.

Fine, Shepard had decided. I'll just find them on my own then.

Except that was easier said than done, apparently. Espionage had never been her strong suit. She could hack a terminal without a problem, but trying to find information that had purposely been buried was another matter altogether. Getting Garrus and Tali back had been happy accidents, and they both told her the same story when she asked if they knew where Liara was- that the team had gradually fallen out of contact with each other in the months following Shepard's death, and neither of them had spoken to her in over a year. And if Ash knew where she was, Shepard doubted she'd be forthcoming with that information, given how her reaction on Horizon. This search was one frustration after another. Even EDI hadn't been any help, and Shepard was beginning to wonder if someone had programmed a block into her.

The commander's thoughts were interrupted as the door to her cabin slid open and Miranda walked in, a stack of folders under her arm. "I've got the next round of recruits, Shepard," she said as she handed them over. Shepard turned her chair and took the proffered dossiers, leafing through them quickly. Her heart sped up for a moment when she saw asari, but it wasn't Liara. Someone called a justicar… She'd have to do some research to see exactly what that meant.

"Thanks," she told her XO, setting the stack down next to her computer terminal. "I'll read through them after dinner."

Miranda didn't leave though, instead turning her head to look at the aquarium that was built into the wall. Her eyes darted from fish to fish for a few moments before she directed them back at Shepard, her gaze probing and uncertain at the same time.

Shepard raised an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic behavior. "Something wrong?"

Miranda shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath before looking at Shepard again. "Liara's on Ilium."

Shepard was glad she had already been sitting down. A wave of dizzying relief swept over her and she sagged back in her chair. She'd been starting to worry that something had happened to Liara and no one wanted to tell her. "How-" the words came out as a hoarse croak, and she cleared her throat and tried again. "How do you know that? Why are you telling me now?"

Miranda gave her a small smile. "The how is a story I think I should let Liara tell you. The why… Shepard, you dropped everything without even hesitating to help me make sure Ori was safe. This is the least I can do to say thank you. The Illusive Man didn't want you to know because he thought it might be a distraction, but… to hell with him." She nodded at the stack of folders she'd given Shepard. "Coincidentally, there are a couple of those that are also on Ilium, though I'm sure they'll take a back seat to Liara. And honestly… I'm all right with that." With a nod, Miranda turned and headed back to the elevator, leaving Shepard alone with her thoughts.

The commander turned and punched the comm terminal, with maybe a little more force than was necessary. "Joker, set course for Ilium."

"Aye aye, Commander."

I'm coming, Liara. Finally.

If reaching through a comm connection to strangle someone had been a possibility, Liara probably would have done it. This idiot just wouldn't stop talking, and Liara had lost the remainder of her patience twenty minutes ago when she'd received the notification that the Normandy had just arrived on Ilium. She'd managed to tell Nyxeris to pay their docking fees and take care of everything else, but this fool was taking up time that she needed to center herself before Shepard walked back into her life.

At least that was the hope. She hadn't heard anything else from Miranda regarding Shepard's state since the message about Project Lazarus's success. She had no idea if Shepard remembered anything of her past, of them… If she was still the same woman she'd fallen in love with on the SR-1.

Her frustration finally got the better of her, and she resorted to threats to bring the call to an end. "Have you faced an asari commando unit before?" She sneered, gratified to see the blood drain from his face. "Few humans have. I'll make it simple. Either you pay me, or I flay you alive… With my mind." She punched the screen on her datapad, ending the call, and turned-

A ghost stood in front of her. One she'd never thought she'd get to see again. "Shepard! Nyxeris, hold my calls!" She wouldn't have thought herself capable of speech, but somehow the words tumbled from her mouth as she reached her hands out to grasp Shepard's. That first touch sucked all the air from her lungs and set her heart racing. Shepard was here.

And then she was in the commander's arms, and Shepard's lips were on hers. Time stopped. In that instant, nothing else mattered to Liara, and she could pretend that the last two years had never happened. Shepard smelled the same, tasted the same, and it took a significant effort for Liara not to reach out to meld with her right then and there to find if her mind was the same, too.

The moment ended when Liara reluctantly pulled away, and for a few heartbeats she just stared up into Shepard's face. "You're here," she whispered, feeling the hot prick of tears threatening at the back of her eyes. "You're alive."

"I'm here," Shepard confirmed with the smile that she'd always reserved for Liara, reaching up to cradle the asari's face with one hand. "I've been trying to find you, since…" Her voice trailed off, sorrow and apology and pain in her eyes.

Liara gently pulled away and turned around, trying to regain her composure. "It's all right," she murmured softly. "We have time now." Part of her screamed internally at the missing contact, and she wanted nothing more than to dive back into Shepard's embrace. But she had to know first, and she wouldn't be able to accomplish anything cocooned in that warmth.

"I uhm," Shepard cleared her throat, trying to chase away the husking of tears threatening to overwhelm her. "I brought you something." Liara turned with an inquisitive look, wondering what the soldier could have possibly thought to bring after being dead for two years, and saw an OSD in her outstretched palm. "It's information about the Shadow Broker." An unspoken question underlied that statement, as if Shepard wanted to ask why she needed that kind of information. "Miranda- one of my crew- said you might be looking for it." Shepard stepped toward her slowly, as if afraid she would chase her away, and offered it to her.

With shaking hands, Liara took the disk and rocked up on tiptoes to press a kiss to Shepard's cheek. "Thank you," she whispered, moving back behind her terminal to plug it in. Her terminal whirred for a moment while it processed the information, and then data began flowing across the screen.

The first thing that popped up was a message.

Liara,

Take this as a thank you… and an apology. I didn't understand why she meant so much to you then, but I do now.

M.L.

Liara smiled faintly at that. It seemed Shepard could still work her loyalty charm on those who should have been her enemies. But her eyes widened as the rest of the data on the OSD spilled across the screen, and the implications quickly settled in. Rattled, she yanked the drive from the port and clenched her hand around it, shaking.

"Liara? You ok?" Shepard's voice was concerned, and she stepped to Liara's side, crouching down so she could see her face.

Goddess… I'm going to have to tell her. About Feron, about the Shadow Broker, about Cerberus and how they brought her back to life. I'm going to have to tell her everything… and pray that she doesn't hate me for it.

"I… yes," Liara mumbled. "It's just a lot of information to process." She stood up, disk still wrapped safely in her palm. I need… time." She took a shaking breath and slipped her free hand into one of Shepard's, giving it a hard squeeze. "Can you come by my apartment in a bit? We'll talk?" When Shepard nodded, Liara wrapped both arms around her. "If you need any information on the area you can use my terminal." And before she lost her courage to tear herself from Shepard's orbit once more, before she let herself break down in the soldier's arms, Liara turned and walked out of the office.

They'd spent the afternoon tracking down leads for the justicar and assassin. Shepard's heart hadn't been in it. She was too wrapped up in thoughts of Liara, of how good it had felt to kiss her again, to have her in her arms. She'd kept obsessively checking the time, until Garrus and Miranda had finally exchanged glances and taken pity on her. They wouldn't get much farther today anyway, they'd both reasoned. Might as well head back to the Normandy and freshen up.

So now she found herself heading for the taxi stand, trying not to sprint across the trading floor in the process. She changed into more comfortable clothes- cargo pants and hoodie, since they'd told her that Ilium got chilly at night- and given the rest of the crew the night off for shore leave. She could tell that the taxi driver was somewhat amused by nervous fidgeting, though she mercifully didn't ask any questions and just dropped Shepard off with a polite good-bye. Shepard took a deep breath as she stared up at the apartment building, and then she gathered her courage and walked inside, glad to find the elevator was empty. As it ascended to the floor that Liara's apartment was on Shepard wiped her hands on the back of her pants, trying to remove the sweat that they were suddenly covered in. She fought to keep her breathing steady as she stepped off the lift and toward Liara's apartment-

Only to find that the door was already halfway open, and forced, by the looks of it.

Shepard's pistol was in her hand without much of a thought, and she carefully slipped inside the door, her eyes sweeping the room. Open floor plan at least meant not many places to hide, she thought, and it didn't take her long to confirm that no one else was there. But the place had been ransacked, multiple windows were broken, and there was a trail of blood across the floor.

Heart racing in her chest, Shepard leaned down and dipped her fingers in it, breath rushing out in a whoosh of relief when it was red and not purple. She wiped it off on her pants and keyed her omnitool. "Miranda?"

There was a moment of delay before her XO answered. "Really, Shepard, already? You can't have been there for long, go enjoy your time with your girlfriend."

"She's not here. Someone broke in. I think they took her." Shepard's voice cracked, betraying her emotions. "I need you and Garrus over here now. I already sent you the address."

"Shit. We'll be right there. Hang tight, Shepard." The connection cut out, and Shepard turned to look at the ruined apartment. Prothean artwork on the walls, artifacts encased in glass. Despite herself, the commander smiled. She didn't know how Liara had gotten into information brokering, but she still couldn't keep from her interest in the Protheans. She moved through the apartment, taking the time to look this time, not just evaluate threats. The view was gorgeous, broken window notwithstanding. She recognized Ilos in one of the paintings, and she wondered if Liara had commissioned it or just found it.

And then her breath caught in her throat as her eyes fell on the glass case that sat next to the landing of the stairs. She moved toward it as if drawn by a magnet. Where had Liara gotten her armor?

Shepard didn't know how long she stood there, gazing at the burned and warped piece of armor. It must have been a while though, because Miranda's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Holy shit…"

Shepard turned to face her and Garrus, steeling her soul, pulling the mask up. "Sweep the place. If they left anything behind I want it. I'm gonna start upstairs."

Most of the mess in Liara's bedroom was spilling from the closet. The desk was in disarray too, but the terminal was locked down and Shepard didn't find anything of interest in the drawers. She stepped over to the closet, noting that Liara's footlocker was sticking out of it. On a whim, she dragged it the rest of the way out, wondering if her biometrics would still open it. With a shrug, she pressed her thumb to the lock, and was rewarded with a whir and a click as the latch popped open. She flipped the lid open long enough to make sure that Liara's armor was inside, then closed the chest again and moved it over to the top of the stairs before returning to the closet.

A quick but thorough search showed nothing of interest, though her heart did warm a bit when she found a few sets of her clothing scattered throughout the pile on the floor. She hadn't had time to ask Liara if she'd been seeing anyone, since…

Shepard shook her head, chasing the thoughts away. Grabbing the footlocker, she headed back down the stairs. "Miranda… what exactly was on that OSD?" All she had told Shepard was that there was information about the Shadow Broker on it, and Shepard knew from prior dealings that he wasn't someone to be trifled with.

Miranda's face paled as the implications set in. "Possible coordinates of his base. Shepard, you don't think…"

"I do," Shepard said grimly. "You kept a copy, I assume?" Miranda nodded. "All right, back to the Normandy. We're going after them."

I'm not letting go of you again.

Shepard leaned over the railing, staring down at the galaxy map as EDI, Miranda, and Kelly poured over the data that Miranda had given to Liara. Waiting was killing her. She wanted to scream, cry, fight, kill something. Anything but this. Anything but not knowing where her bondmate was.

Is that still what she is? Without our bond… Can it be restored? Does she want it to be? Has she moved on?

A thousand questions. No answers.

"Commander." EDI's smooth voice broke Shepard from her reverie. "I believe we have pinpointed the most likely location."

"Show me." Shepard lifted her head, waiting for the map to change.

The galaxy shifted, zooming into the Hourglass Nebula, and then further to the Sowilo system. "Hagalaz. The boundary between day and night results in extreme storms due to the differences in temperature. I believe that it would serve as an exceptional location in which to hide." The third planet from the system's sun blinked as EDI highlighted it.

Without hesitation, Shepard locked their destination in. She would scour the galaxy for Liara, Collector's be damned. "Take us there, Joker. Give me a heads up when we're an hour out."

"Aye aye, Commander. Heading for the relay now."

With a satisfied nod, Shepard stalked out of the CIC to prepare.

All bets were off for this mission, Shepard had decided. And that meant she was breaking all of the rules. She'd sounded an all-hands-on-deck alert, instead of picking two squadmates and leaving the rest as back-up like she normally would. So now the armory was filled with the sounds of everyone suiting up, racking weapons, and dealing with the adrenaline of a pending battle.

Shepard had honed her worry and fear into needle-sharp focus. Failure wasn't an option here. Whatever awaited them on the monstrous ship they were headed for, they'd taken the wrong person and they would suffer the wrath that only Commander Shepard could bring to bear.

MIranda stepped up beside her, helping with the last few buckles of her chestplate that were always hard to reach. "We'll get her, Shepard," she said quietly."

Shepard nodded once, a quick bob of her head. "Damn straight we will." She turned to the weapons bench to arm up. Pistol at her waist, sniper rifle on her shoulder, assault rifle on the small of her back, Collector beam rifle on the opposite shoulder. Finally, she reached for her helmet, setting it onto her head and hearing the seals secure themselves with a satisfying suction noise.

"Comms check," she said. "Call in."

"Miranda here."

"Garrus online."

"Grunt. Let's go smash something!" Shepard smiled a little at the krogran's enthusiasm.

"Tali here."

"Mordin, check."

"Jacob, ready to go."

"That's everyone. Joker, take us down? Drop us as close to the door that EDI found as you can."

"You got it, Commander. Going in hot."

Shepard walked to the back of the armory, flanked by her crew. "All right, people. I don't care what else happens on this ship but we're all coming out alive and we're bringing Liara with us. If anyone gets in our way…" Shepard reached over her shoulder, pulling her sniper rifle into her arms and letting it unfold in her grip. "...That's their problem."

The loading ramp opened in front of them, and without another glance backwards, Shepard launched herself out of the Normandy and onto the hull of the Shadow Broker's ship.

The Normandy's stealth drives had done them a service, it seemed. They hadn't been expected, and the first trickle of resistance didn't appear until Mordin and Tali had begun hacking into security to get the access door open. Even then, it was nothing the group of them had trouble dealing with.

It shouldn't be this easy, Shepard thought once they were inside, sweeping down the maze of hallways that this ship was made up of. EDI graphed their route as they went, building a map of this labyrinth. Mercenaries appeared in front of them and dropped just as quickly, and despite the gravity of the situation Shepard felt a swell of pride at the team she had built so far.

Shepard held up a fist as they came to a door that led into an area that resembled a lab, waving Tali and Mordin in once she'd made sure it was empty. "Tali, see if you can find a terminal to hack into and find us a map of the rest of this place so we're not flying blind. Mordin, see anything important?"

"Test equipment. Shock array. Blood analyzers. Not good, Shepard." He turned to the next window, and then looked back at Shepard in shock. "Shepard. Someone here." He pointed through the window.

Shepard moved next to him to see a drell restrained in some sort of chair. She glanced down at the terminal in front of the window, and pressed a button. "Hey, can you hear me in there?"

The drell groaned, lifting his head from where it rested. His black eyes stared at her for a moment, and he blinked in… disbelief? "You are Commander Shepard."

Shepard's eyes narrowed. "How do you know who I am? What's your name?"

"Liara," the drell said simply. "I am Feron." He let his head fall back against the chair again, as if too exhausted to hold it up.

"Do you know where Liara is?" Shepard asked, her heart feeling as if it were going to beat its way out of her chest.

"He keeps her… ugnh... In the central chamber with him."

"Tali, can you get him out of there?"

Before the quarian could even respond, Feron groaned again. "Don't. It's a… sensitive system. It's designed to overload the occupant if it's tampered with. It… ughn… has to be disabled from his personal console."

"He's right, Shepard," Tali said softly, looking up from the terminal. "Anything I do would just cause more damage. I did find the ship schematics, though."

"Good job." Shepard turned back to the drell. "Hang in there, all right? We'll be back for you." She pulled her rifle back off her shoulder, switching out the thermal clip for a fresh one. "EDI, give me the most direct route from here to the central chamber."

Her omni-tool lit up with the desired path. "Thank you," Shepard murmured, and then they were off again.

Liara hung in the energy shackles that the Shadow Broker had imprisoned her in, somewhere between waking and oblivion. Aside from the bruises that had formed on her wrists and ankles from the cuffs, her treatment had been much gentler than she'd expected. She was a trophy of sorts, the yahg had told her… and bait. He knew she was the one who had robbed him of Commander Shepard's body two years ago, and now Liara would be what brought her back to him.

Liara had smirked at that. "When Shepard finds out where I am," she had told him with a confidence that she didn't really feel, "the only one not leaving this ship will be you."

Liara prayed to the goddess that it was actually true. That Shepard was still the woman that she'd bonded with, that she would come looking for her, that Liara hadn't kept too much of a distance when the commander had walked into her office, that she hadn't given her the wrong idea.

When the ship's security alarms pulled her from her half-conscious state, Liara couldn't erase the smugness from her face as her adrenaline surged. She stayed silent as the Shadow Broker dispatched his mercenaries in waves, becoming more frustrated as each one failed to stop Shepard's headlong charge through the ship.

And then finally the door to the inner sanctum screeched open and Shepard strode through it, head held high, her squad spilling into the room behind her and fanning out. The commander took in the details of everything before her and turned her head to the side slightly- Liara recognized the posture, knew she was talking on the squad's private comm channel- and then let her eyes roam over Liara for a moment before fixing her gaze on the monstrous alien in front of her.

"You," Shepard said simply, her voice echoing through her helmet speaker, "are holding someone extremely precious to me." She holstered her pistol, pulling her assault rifle from the small of her back and fitting the stock into the hollow of her shoulder. "And that's a situation I'm going to remedy right now." The final word was a shout, and the room exploded into motion.

The Shadow Broker roared as Shepard charged toward him and picked up the table at which he sat, tossing it at her without effort. Liara's breath caught in her chest as Shepard ducked and slid under it at the last minute, letting loose an entire clip's worth of ammo straight into his face. Some sort of shield shimmered into existence around him though, and he caught the commander with a backhand that sent her rolling away.

But Liara didn't have time to worry about her as Tali and a salarian crouched at the base of the device that had her ensnared. " Do you know if this thing has any fail-safes?" Tali asked her, furiously tapping away at her omni-tool as she tried to hack it.

"I don't know," Liara said, eyes darting around the room trying to find Shepard, locating her just as she- did she really just punch him in the face?! "Take the chance and get me out of here."

Tali nodded. "Almost there."

Liara hung in the shackles, helpless to do anything but watch as the crew of the Normandy slowly but surely backed the Shadow Broker into the corner opposite where she was. Liara knew it wasn't a coincidence.

Even now, she protects me. The thought brought a surge of hope that she hadn't let herself feel before.

The yahg's shield shimmered into existence again, and Shepard ducked behind a pillar. "Grunt, your turn!" Liara watched in some sort of horrified fascination as the krogan blitzed across the room and headbutted the alien that was easily twice his size, laughing maniacally the entire time.

The yahg's strength was obviously flagging as he staggered back to his feet once more, and inspiration seized Liara. "Shepard!" she shouted, directing her gaze at the electrified reservoir of plasma above them that provided the bulk of the room's lighting, praying the commander would understand.

Shepard's helmeted head whipped around to face her, then followed her eyes up to the ceiling. She looked back to Liara and nodded, and even with the helmet on Liara knew she was grinning. She must've issued more commands via private comm, because as Liara watched the squad repositioned themselves strategically.

Liara's bonds winked out of existence and she dropped into the salarian's waiting arms. "Mordin," he introduced himself as if there weren't a battle raging 5 meters from them. "Pleasure to meet you." Tali put Liara's other arm around her shoulders, and the two of them helped Liara into cover next to the giant bank of monitors nearby.

But Liara needed to see this for herself, and she poked her head back out from behind it just in time to see Shepard and the krogan double team the Shadow Broker from opposite sides. He fell to the floor again as the pair rolled out of the way, and blue and purple biotics flew from Miranda and the other human as they directed the energy at the giant lens overhead and pulled.

And just like that, the fight was over as quickly as it had begun. Plasma poured from the ceiling and consumed the yahg until nothing remained but ash. The power flickered once as the ship's emergency systems rerouted power around the fault, and the bank of monitors above Liara's head started turning red as various agents began trying to contact their deceased master.

Before Liara really even knew what she was doing she was on her feet and at the console, hands flying over the control panel as she reconfirmed one connection after another. Only once it was done did the adrenaline finally drain from her system. A pair of strong hands caught her waist as she swayed, and Liara looked up to see Shepard's brilliant green eyes staring down at her in concern.

"Are you ok?" the commander asked softly, gently turning Liara to face her so she could look her over.

"Ye…" Liara couldn't finish the word. Her vision tunneled for a moment, a wave of dizziness swept over her with such intensity she was sure she would fall. But Shepard swept her up into her arms, gently holding her to her chest. Dimly, she could hear the commander barking orders at the rest of the squad.

"Jacob, call up to the Normandy and get Dr. Chakwas down here. Tali, Mordin, get back to that lab and get the drell. The rest of you watch the door in case there are any more of those mercenaries still hiding out. EDI, find me somewhere I can lay Liara down."

A computerized voice spoke from Shepard's omni-tool. "The door at the back of the room appears to lead to a lounge area, Commander."

"Thank you," Shepard murmured, and strode toward it, careful not to jostle Liara too much. The room was indeed some sort of lounge, and as she laid Liara gently down on one of the couches the fuzziness finally cleared from the asari's head.

"Shepard," she whispered, gratified by the smile that the commander gave her. "You came."

"Of course I did," Shepard said softly. "Just hang in there for a few, we're gonna get Dr. Chakwas to look you and Feron over." She pulled her canteen off her belt and helped Liara take a few sips of water. "When's the last time you ate?"

"This morning… I think. Time has been… cloudy. Is Feron all right?"

"He'll be all right, I think." An indecipherable look passed over Shepard's face. "Is he... Do you want him in here with you?" She looked back towards the door.

Even as dazed and drained as Liara was, she knew what she was being asked. She reached out and took Shepard's hand in hers. "No." She squeezed the soldier's hand as hard as she could, gratified to see relief replace uncertainty. She opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment Dr. Chakwas swept into the room, Jacob trailing behind her with a cart of supplies and Liara's footlocker. Shepard started to pull away, but Liara held tightly to her hand, unwilling to let go. "Stay," she pleaded in a whisper, and Shepard nodded and settled back down next to her.

"It's good to see you again, Liara," the doctor greeted as she keyed her omni-tool and began scanning. "I wish it were under better circumstances."

"As do I," Liara agreed, glad to find that her voice had at least evened out.

Dr. Chakwas smiled as her omni-tool beeped. "You'll be just fine, dear. Rest and food and you'll be good as new. I brought some rations down with us," she said, gesturing back at the cart. "Nothing fancy, but it'll do the trick." Before Shepard could protest, the doctor turned and scanned her as well and nodded in satisfaction when hers came back in the green as well. "I'll let you two have some time alone. Eat. Both of you."

Shepard chuckled as Dr. Chakwas left the room and the door slid closed behind her. She offered Liara a hand and helped the asari sit up, grabbing the ration packs and juice bottles before sitting down next to her. Shepard opened one of the bottles and pushed it into Liara's hands, making sure she drank it all. She pulled Liara into her arms then, letting their foreheads touch. "I was so worried about you," she said softly. "I'd just found you and I almost lost you all over again."

Liara almost reached out to meld with her right then, but… "Shepard," she croaked. "I need to know it's really you that they brought back."

The commander's face softened, and she smiled. "You sneaked into my quarters the night before Ilos. You stayed on the Normandy with me after we saved the Citadel. I taught you how to whistle, even though it was really just an excuse for me to kiss you." Shepard paused and swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat, and when she spoke again her voice was husky. "And the night we bonded… It was the best night of my life. Some part of you was always with me after that because I could always feel you." Shepard's voice dropped to a whisper. "And I can't feel you now and it terrifies me."

"Krae!" Shepard's name spilled from Liara's lips, a strangled cry of joy. Liara needed no further proof. She didn't know how Miranda had done it, didn't care how it had happened. Her bondmate was alive. Liara reached up and tangled her hands into crimson hair and pressed her mouth to Shepard's with a bruising, desperate intensity as she reached out with her mind to reclaim what had once been theirs. Shepard's mind opened to hers at the first brush, pulling her in, welcoming her home. The line's between their consciousnesses blurred as Liara took them deeper, back to the place that was theirs and theirs alone, their own personal universe. Here their mutual relief and joy blended together, here they had no secrets because they were one being.

Here there was only their love.

They could've stayed there for an eternity, but Liara was too weakened to maintain the meld for very long, and they both knew it. Slowly, reluctantly, they both withdrew, separating into two beings once more. There were tears in Shepard's eyes, mirroring those in Liara's, and the commander reached out with a trembling hand to cradle Liara's face.

"You saved me," Shepard whispered, memories still fresh from what she'd seen in the meld. "You were in so much pain, and you still saved me." Awe shone in her eyes. "I love you."

Liara could only nod in response, unable to find her voice as the knot of worry that she'd carried for so long finally loosened and disappeared at the revelation that Shepard wasn't upset with her for giving her body to Cerberus. She burrowed into her bondmate's arms and Shepard pulled her snugly against herself, dropping a kiss on top of her crest. "I love you, too," Liara finally managed.

She could've stayed there forever, but Shepard was the voice of reason. "How about you eat while I get out of my armor?" Liara nodded, reluctant to leave her bondmate's embrace but knowing that food was a good idea. Shepard kissed her one more time and grabbed one of the ration packs for her before standing up. "And we brought your footlocker from your apartment if you wanna change, too," she added.

Liara cracked open the ration pack and started eating as Shepard shed piece after piece of armor onto the floor. She stopped long enough to swallow the food that was in her mouth so she could speak. "There's… clothes of yours in there if you don't want to stay in your compression suit," she told the commander softly, nodding toward the chest. Shepard smiled warmly at her and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek before crossing the room to the chest. Liara returned her attention back to the food in front of her while Shepard rummaged through for the set of sweats and t-shirt that Liara had always kept near the bottom. She didn't notice when Shepard froze, having found a small blue velvet box worn smooth from two years of tender caresses.

"Liara?" The asari glanced up at the tremor in her bondmate's voice to see Shepard standing there with clothes tucked under one arm, both hands clutching the box. "Where did you find this?"

"Alchera," Liara said simply, the ache in her heart a faint echo of what it had once been. "I went back, not long after…" She reached under her shirt, pulling Shepard's dog tags out and up over her head, pressing them into the hand of the soldier that had sat back down next to her on the couch. "I found these, too."

Shepard stared numbly at the objects in her hands for a moment. "I thought they were lost," she murmured. "I'd had it all planned out. Cook you dinner, take the shuttle out into orbit so we could watch the stars for a bit, just the two of us. Make up some silly constellation to distract you so I could get the box out of my pocket without you noticing…" She looked up at Liara then, grinning crookedly. "And then ask you to marry me?" Shepard's emotions spilled through their newly-renewed bond- love, nervousness, and absolute certainty.

Liara's own flowed right back at her, and Shepard's face lit up before she could even speak. "Yes, Krae. The answer has always been yes." And then she was wrapped up in Shepard's arms again, and her bondmate was kissing her as if she were oxygen, and Liara decided exhaustion didn't matter and pulled them both back into a meld.

"You sure you don't want to come with me?" Shepard asked Liara as the asari helped her back into her armor. She knew they'd probably already stayed too long… She'd flat out refused to leave the Shadow Broker's ship until they'd swept every inch of it and made sure nothing else was lurking in its depths. And then she'd added a few more days on for good measure. It had been selfish on her part, yes, but… her bondmate was worth it.

Liara just smiled as she fastened the last few clasps. "You know I do. And maybe once I get everything settled here I'll be able to set up a remote site. But until then…" She looked up at Shepard wistfully. "We'll have to make do with stolen moments here and there." They'd already talked about this at length. With the amount of information that Liara now had at her fingertips, they could find nearly anything they needed. And they needed to find the Collectors.

Shepard nodded and leaned down, capturing Liara's lips with hers one final time before she had to tear herself away and return to her mission. One hand crept up the underside of Liara's crest, gently stroking, while the other toyed with the ring and bracelet that now adorned Liara's left hand. The matching bracelet on her own hand glinted in the light as she pulled back.

Liara reached up and tugged gently on a stray lock of her hair. "Come back to me," she whispered.

"Always," Shepard said fiercely. "I will always come back to you." She squeezed Liara's hands. "These bastards only get one chance to kill me, and they wasted it. Now I'm gunning for them."

And they'll be sorry they ever fucked with me by the time I'm done with them.