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By the time Garrus dropped her off at the bottom of the Presidium, Shepard no longer wanted to complete all the myriad tasks she had come to the Citadel to do. She mostly wanted to pace nervously waiting for the appointed time that Kaidan had agreed to meet for dinner, worrying about whether she should change clothes. Wearing her fatigues and a hooded sweatshirt seemed casual and normal, but maybe not nice enough? But wearing nicer clothes, something she rarely did, sent a stronger message than she was sure she wanted to send.

She spied Liara standing by the lake, looking out over the water. It was as unusual for the asari to be standing still doing nothing as it was for Shepard, so Shepard wandered over to her friend's side, figuring they could at least stand there together, if nothing else.

"You all right?" she asked as she leaned her elbows on the railing next to Liara. "I thought I'd find you rushing about all over the place."

"Sometimes you learn more by standing still and letting the information come to you," Liara observed.

"Is that what you're doing? Am I interrupting a drop?"

Liara smiled. "No, not this time. Just … thinking."

"You mind if I join you?"

"Are you thinking long thoughts, too, Shepard?"

"Maybe a few. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Liara hesitated. "It's a deal," she said at last. "Do you know that this is my favorite part of the Presidium? It reminds me of where I grew up. Armali, back on Thessia. My mother and I lived beside a park. I spent hours there."

"Doing what?"

"Reading, exploring, getting in trouble digging for ruins in the grass."

"So you were born to be an archaeologist."

"You might say that."

Shepard smiled. "I can just imagine little Liara, shovel in hand, dirt on the nose. I bet you were a cute little kid."

"Were you also a cute little kid, Shepard?"

"I couldn't tell you. I can tell you I spent a lot of my childhood with a shovel in my hands and dirt on my nose, but not by my choice. I preferred to study, train in the martial arts. My parents wanted me to be a farmer."

"Think of what the galaxy would have lost if you had been. I'm glad you followed your dream."

"Not so much by my own choice."

"Yes, of course. I had forgotten what happened to your parents."

Shepard shrugged. "I often do, too. I barely remember them. We weren't close. Sometimes I wish we had been, that I felt their loss more."

"And I wish that I felt my mother's loss less. I miss her, Shepard."

"Of course you do. Tell me what she did when she caught you digging up the park."

"She gave me quite the lecture." Liara smiled at the memory. "And bought me my first history book the next day. She was very supportive of my interests. I thought—I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. She loved to wear yellow. And she was … kind, and confident. I wanted to be like her when I grew up."

"I think you are. She was very strong, Liara, to fight the indoctrination as hard as she did. Very strong. And she loved you to the end. Don't forget that."

"Thank you, Shepard. It helps to remember that. I do feel better." She looked searchingly at Shepard's face. "And you? You left to help Aria so abruptly, I wondered—"

"What did you wonder?"

"Well, I could tell that you and Kaidan were … still drawn to one another, and I thought perhaps he had overstepped."

"Oh, no, quite the opposite." Shepard looked down at her hands on the railing. "I was … lost, and alone, and I turned to Kaidan when I probably shouldn't have. And he was there for me as long as he could be, but …"

"He didn't want only part of you?"

"Something like that, yes."

Liara nodded, understanding. "So you went away to put some distance between you."

"And to think about what I want. Does it seem strange to you that I would be contemplating getting involved again so soon after Thane's death?"

"Perhaps if it was someone else, but you and Kaidan have always been important to one another. Maybe you were meant to find your way back to one another. You know, Shepard, asari are longer-lived than almost any other species. We are taught early on that no love can last a lifetime. Each love is special, to be sure, and unforgettable—but not the only one."

"Humans are taught that it's a once in a lifetime thing. I used to believe that. Well … I believed it because I had been taught it. I never thought much about love until I was in it."

"But you knew that Thane had been married before, and he had loved his wife very much. Did that ever bother you?"

"No. Not at all. I knew his love for Irikah existed separately from his love for me, but they seemed to complement one another, if that makes sense. Like each made the other more special."

"Yes," Liara agreed. "We are taught that that's the way it's supposed to be."

"So why do I feel so guilty when I think of being with Kaidan?"

"Because you are still human, and the training of your early years, the expectations of those around you, they still mean something. Only you can decide if they mean enough to shape the course of your life."

Shepard frowned. "You know, I shouldn't even be thinking of this. We're at war."

"What better time is there? What do we fight for if not to make the galaxy safe for people to love each other?"

"You make a good point. Thank you, Liara."

"My pleasure. I wish … I look forward to a time when we can spend more time together like this. Just … friends."

"It will be nice," Shepard agreed. "Maybe you'll find someone after this and settle down." Remembering the drell on the Shadow Broker's ship she added, "Maybe you already have."

Liata blushed faintly. "Now, Shepard, you don't really see me going into civilian life, do you?"

"No, but then again, you don't see me doing that either, do you? Finding someone doesn't mean giving up everything else you do."

"I suppose it doesn't. I guess that's one more reason we should keep in touch, if we're both going to keep working from one end of the galaxy to the other."

Shepard grinned at her friend. "Someone to share a few secrets with now and then?"

"Exactly."