The captain of the Qa'tira met Liara at the shuttle bay, escorting her through the huge asari cruiser toward the infirmary, explaining matters as they walked.

"From my understanding she was picked up, unconscious and floating among the battle debris," she said. "An asari and a quarian in a small indi-trans discovered her."

"That would be Athena and Red."

"Yes. The quarian reported they thought she was your daughter at first; she was in N7 armor. It wasn't until they got her aboard their transport than they realized she was human. A DNA ident scan told them the rest."

"How badly was she injured?"

"Few broken bones, a serious concussion. The doctors can tell you more specifics. Our ident scans told us the same thing- down to every allele in her DNA, she is identical to FM Ashley Tepper, just…younger."

"She must be conscious if she was asking for me," Liara said. "What else has she said?"

"She gave her name as Commander Ashley Madeline Williams, N7 special ops on special assignment. Claimed she had been on a mission in the Horsehead Nebula-some moon called Ixis. Refused to give further details. She said her mission was classified, then insisted on talking to you. Since then she just keeps repeating that request. She does nothing but give us her name and military ident and demands to talk to you."

Liara's brows knit as she processed the information- and the discrepancies. Ashley never became an N7. She was an LC when the war began, and was offered the Spectre position. The moment she accepted it her rank in the Alliance froze. Two years later they gave her the honorary title of Captain. She retired from the Spectres after twenty years, was promoted to Admiral in the Alliance and given the Second Fleet to command. She was in her sixties when she became Fleet Master, and served there for a full four terms before retiring.

"I have not heard of Ixis," Liara said aloud.

"Neither had I. I looked it up. There is an ice moon under that name in the Horsehead Nebula. It is about a tenth of the size of Thessia, and while it has a thin breathable atmosphere, the temperatures are too frigid to support much life. There are no colonies or stations on it- at least not legal ones. Tactically, strategically, and resourcefully, it's useless for anything but possibly water mining. Neither the Council nor the Alliance report any kind of mission or team that was assigned to that moon or even that sector of the nebula."

"If the mission were highly classified, they would not admit to it."

"Naturally. Even so, it does not explain the human woman fuming in my infirmary that shows identical DNA to a centuries dead Alliance Fleet Master and war hero."

"No, it does not."

They reached the infirmary. As they stepped in, one of the doctors' straightened and headed over. The captain nodded to her. "Dr. T'Soni, this is Dr. Leota, my chief medical officer. She was the one who first questioned our 'guest'."

"An honor to meet you, Dr. T'Soni," Leota said with a polite nod. "We have her secured in a private room at the end of the bay."

"I have a security officer waiting to escort you into the room," the captain said, and Liara shook her head.

"Thank you, but I will be fine. My biotics will be enough should she become hostile, and she may become more defensive or close-mouthed should anyone but me enter."

The captain didn't look terribly convinced, but nodded. "Very well, however we will be monitoring the room. The first sign of hostility and my security will intervene to the extent necessary."

"I understand, Captain. Thank you."

"This way," Leota said, and as Liara followed her toward the far room she steeled herself.

It was not every day one came face to face again with long-dead and much missed friends…or their imposters.

If she is an imposter, she will be very unhappy very soon that she chose to desecrate my friend in such a way.

Ashley was pacing in the room. While they had allowed her out of the bed, they had been very thorough in removing anything that could be used as a weapon, and she knew damned well even without touching it the door was locked and sealed. They insisted she wasn't a prisoner-yet- but she knew a cell when she saw one.

They had at least allowed her to wear her uniform again instead of those itchy scrubs she'd woken up in. The doctor had looked at her oddly as she'd delivered them, but had said nothing.

Now, Ashley could only pace, with nothing but her own thoughts and confusions to occupy her.

Damned room doesn't even have a damned window-

The door beeped and went green. At the sound she immediately halted, looking toward it. Dr. Leota was the first one she saw, and she was all set to scowl again when Leota wordlessly turned aside and allowed another figure to enter.

Ashley blew out a sharp breath. "Thank God! What the hell happened? They wouldn't tell me anything!"

Liara said nothing, only nodded to Leota. The door slid shut and resealed, leaving them alone. Ashley's relief turned into confusion almost abruptly. Not at them being left alone or Liara's momentary silence, but as Liara own appearance registered on her.

"Wait…what the hell is going on?" Ash asked, her voice trembling slightly though she tried to mask it with irritation. "Captain, you look-"

"Why do you call me 'captain?'" Liara asked gently. Ash stared at her.

"I don't know, because you're my fucking captain?" she said. "What happened to you?"

"How do you mean?"

"How do I…? Ok, something really fucked up is going on. How do I mean? Look at you! You look…older, for one."

"Ash-"

"This is some kind of a trick, isn't it? You're a look-alike or something?"

"I can tell by your tone even you do not believe that," Liara said, still speaking gently. She gestured at a chair. "Please. Why don't we sit, and you tell me what you remember?"

"I'll stand, thanks," Ashley said angrily. Liara inclined her head slightly.

"As you desire. I, however, am going to sit."

She walked over to the chair and sat down.

Ashley stared at her. "How am I supposed to believe you're you?" she demanded.

"Probably the same way that I am supposed to believe that you are you," Liara said.

"What? Who the hell else would I be?"

"A clone," Liara told her. "Perhaps an imposter."

"You think I'm the imposter?"

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"God, this is fucking unreal," Ashley said to herself, making a gesture that was simultaneously frustrated and helpless. "So what do you suggest?"

"Ask me what you think only I would know, and I will do the same," Liara said.

"Ok, what's your mother's name?"

"Benezia," Liara said. "That is a matter of public record. Were I an imposter I would easily know such a detail."

"True. Ok…um…what was our mission on Ixis?"

"I do not know," Liara said honestly. "I have never been to Ixis."

"Then you're an imposter," Ashley said furiously. "Ixis should be burned into your goddamn memory. I wasn't out that long. And for that matter, how did you get so far away that fast? Why am I even on an asari transport?"

Liara regarded her silently and thoughtfully a long moment before speaking. "That is several questions asked of me. I believe it is your turn to answer one before I respond."

"Fine. Go ahead."

"When the Reaper War began, what was your assignment?"

The look on the human woman's face was the pure embodiment of confusion. "What…what's a Reaper?" she asked. "What are you talking about, 'Reaper War?' What war?"

Liara nodded once. "I believe you are who you say you are," she said softly. "I am…I am sorry, Ashley. I…this will take some processing…"

"So…asking me a weird question about a war that I've never even heard of convinced you that I was me?" Ashley asked. "You want to explain?"

Liara looked at her. She was collected, but her eyes were slightly shiny, her expression carefully schooled.

"Were you a clone, whoever created you would not have left out something so monumental from your programming. Were you an imposter, you would not be ignorant of the war. No one in the galaxy is ignorant of the war, and to claim ignorance of it- while pretending to be someone who was pivotal in it- serves no purpose I can fathom. The only other possibility is that you are who you say you are…but that you are not who I hoped you were."

"And what the hell does that mean?" Ashley asked, getting even more irritated. "Just a simple straight answer would be-"

"Are you familiar with anchors?" Liara asked her abruptly. "Folding space? Perhaps dark alien vessels of far advanced technology from outside of our galaxy?"

Ashley stiffened. "You know about-"

"Was that part of your classified mission?"

"You couldn't have known that," Ashley said. "Not unless you were the real Liara, but you look-"

"You will need to sit down," Liara said gently. "Please."

Ashley paused, then moved over to the biobed and carefully sat down. "What happened?" she asked quietly. "Tell me."

"Neither of us are clones," Liara said. "Neither are imposters. I believe that the truth of the matter has to do with those Folds. It is my belief that…that you are in the incorrect universe."

Ashley seemed to shrink ever so slightly without even moving, her eyes going unfocused as her brows knit. "All that egghead talk. What are they called again…Hubble volumes? String theory-"

"Multidimensional string theory," Liara said. "Yes. It is theorized that there are an infinite number of universes in an infinite number of dimensions. Each of these bubbles of reality-each 'universe'- is called a Hubble volume. Astrophysics is not my forté, my daughter is far more of an expert."

"You have kids?"

"Yes, three daughters," Liara said.

"You…my Liara didn't have any children."

"From your appearance, and from your comment that I look…older, I believe that your universe and mine do not have the same flow of time," Liara said. "That, or the Fold bridged time as well as the membranes separating our two-"

"Fuck!" Ash's hand slammed into the bed and she stood up again, raking her hands through her hair as she paced. "The goddamn Fold! Doc said this could happen. When the bomb went off the Fold linked to a random anchor instead of collapsing and…shit. Shit shit shit! You're right. You're right. I got ripped right off my feet and pulled through that Fold-"

She whirled and strode toward Liara. "I have to go back!"

"I do not know if that is even possible-"

"Fuck that! Just get your anchor and link it back to ours!"

"That may be a possibility but I do not even know if 'our anchor' is still intact," Liara said. "If it is, I do not know if it can be linked back to yours. Those are questions my daughter would be far more qualified to-"

"Then get her up here! We have to-"

"Ashley," Liara rose and set a gentle hand on the woman's arm. "If there is any way to get you home we will find it. I promise that to you. However, nothing is going to happen right this moment."

"I have to get back now," Ashley said. "If I'm not there to help stop Osco-"

"Gellian Osco?" Liara asked, surprised.

"Yeah, the crazy fuck who's trying to blow everything up -you know her too?"

"Yes," Liara said. "Listen, if the Fold traversed time as well as space, then if it is possible to re-establish it may be possible to reverse that transition through time as well, return to the point that you left."

"Are you sure?"

"No," Liara admitted. "As I said, I do not even know if 'our' anchor is still intact, or if it is possible to even identify your particular universe and reconnect it. I suspect our two Hubble volumes are fairly close together though there seem to be some significant differences. The Reaper War, for example. And Osco…trying to blow everything up?"

Ash blew out a breath. "Maybe we should figure out the similarities and the differences. Maybe that'll help identify how close they are together?"

"Yes. I think that could be helpful."

"Why don't you start?" Ashley said. "What is this…Reaper War?"

They sat down again, and Liara began, describing the discovery of the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. "It imparted a warning, a vision into the mind of the marine who touched it. From it we learned that sentient ships called Reapers would enter our galaxy every fifty thousand years and wipe out all advanced organic life. This Cycle repeated for millions of years, millions of civilizations. The one in the Cycle before us, the Protheans, had managed to create the beacons in an attempt to warn the next Cycle. You were there on Eden Prime. At least, my Ashley was. She joined Shepard's crew and-"

"Wait…Shepard?" Ashley said, leaning forward a bit. "Not…not Del Shepard?"

"Yes," Liara replied. "You know her?"

"She was a marine?" Ashley asked, clearly shocked.

"Yes. At the time, she was a commander. N7, like you are now."

To Liara's surprise, Ashley let out an astounded laugh. "Really? Del Shepard…short for Delilah? Middle name Spruce?"

"Yes," Liara replied. "By your reaction, I take it your Del Shepard was not a marine?"

"Uh, no," Ashley grinned. "Far from it. She only learned how to even shoot a gun a couple of weeks ago, and that was because she insisted she was coming with us through the Omega Four relay-"

"The Omega Four? To find the Collectors?" Liara asked.

"What? No…never heard of Collectors."

"Of course. Without the Cycles and the Reapers there would be no Collectors."

"We went through the Omega Four because the captain…well, you…thought that Osco might be hiding there, have a base. The Doc…Del…insisted on coming along. You didn't like that much."

"'The Doc?'" It was Liara's turn to blink. "Shepard was a doctor?"

"Is, yes. At least, she was still alive when I got sucked through that Fold. She was standing pretty close to it-"

"Goddess!" Liara whispered, going pale. "Oh, Melara…"

"You ok?"

Liara looked at her. "My daughter, Melara. She was badly injured in the same battle where we discovered you floating in the debris. She woke briefly and…"

She shook her head, her voice going soft again, as if she were speaking to herself. "It was not a neurological problem, not a reaction to the chemicals. I was right. She was expecting to see Del because she did see Del!"

She stood up and headed for the door, gesturing at Ashley to follow her. Obediently Ash did so.

"What are we doing? What's going on?"

Liara looked at Leota as the door opened. "I am taking the patient down to the monastery, my clearance. Tell your captain we need the S&R scans for the debris field doubled immediately! Put every resource that you have on picking over that field inch by inch- inform the Admiral as well. There may be someone else still floating out there."

"You think Del got blown through the Fold too?" Ashley asked, not even glancing at the doctor as she followed Liara toward the shuttle bay.

"My daughter woke up expecting to see her," Liara said. "The only way that could have happened is if she did see her, and the only way that could have happened was-"

"Was if the Doc got blown through too," Ashley said, then cursed. "Damn it! They could theoretically afford to lose me. Losing her-"

"You said she was a doctor?"

"Yeah. Geneticist. Fucking brilliant," Ashley said as they hurried along. "She worked with Osco for a few years before the bitch went completely over the bend. We found out about Osco when she released a plague on a small colony on Purdue. About the same time, she set about systematically assassinating everyone who had worked on her original team. Shepard was the only one left. We barely got to her in time. She was able to not only predict what Osco was doing and going to do, she managed to identify the plague and come up with a cure for it."

"What was it?" Liara asked as they reached the shuttle, climbing aboard. As she started to power it up, Ashley climbed into the co-pilot's seat.

"Something called PMD. Poly-"

"Polyneuro-mimetic DNA?" Liara blinked at her.

"You heard of it?"

"It is highly theoretical, we are centuries away from even starting to develop a working strain-"

"Yeah, so were we, but Osco managed it. She seemed to have quite a lot of tech that we were centuries away from developing."

"She found exo-alien technology?"

"I'm guessing you did to?"

"Only recently," Liara said. "A ship buried in methane ice."

"Ours was in the galactic core. Solid black, sleek, like onyx?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Well, our two universes have that in common at least. Look, it was because of the Doc that we were able to stop a galaxy wide 'ethnic cleansing', and it was because of her that we even have a chance at stopping Osco before she can destroy the entire galaxy with some mega-super weapon the exo-aliens planted. God knows I want to get home but she needs to get home. The captain may be able to finish this off on her own but I don't have much faith in her chances if she lost the Doc."

Liara looked at her askance. They had left the shuttle bay, the bright glowing ball of Kallini filling up most of the view screen as she guided them back toward the monastery.

"I gather by your tone you do not just mean losing Shepard's expertise," she said. "Del and I…Del and your Liara…were involved?"

"Yeah," Ashley said. "You and your Del too?"

"Yes," Liara said softly. "She is the father of my two eldest daughters."

"Huh," Ashley looked out the screen. "Sihra was right."

"You know Sihra? The rakir?"

"Yeah. We managed to get the rakir uplifted after Osco took Sihra off her home world for 'curiosity's sake'. She was working with us."

"Another thing our two volumes have in common. We just recently uplifted the rakir as well, after slavers managed to take Sihra off-world. They were a little less kind than merely 'curious.'"

"Trust me, Osco's curiosity was not even remotely kind," Ashley said.

"What was Sihra right about?"

"She said that my Liara and my Shepard were soul mates. Apparently the rakir can…sense, or smell that somehow. Shit if I understand how it works. She said they would always find each other, in whatever form and whatever life. Guess it's true. Here I am in a completely different universe and you have-"

The angle of the shuttle had changed to skirt the debris field, but doing so had put it fully on the view screen. Ashley's eyes widened as she saw it and she sat forward.

"My God, what happened?"

"We were attacked by the exo-aliens," Liara said. "They hit without warning, destroyed two Alliance cruisers and nearly destroyed my daughter's ship, the Normandy. That is where we found you floating."

"I wasn't hurt when I went through the Fold but I don't remember anything after I got torn off my feet, until I woke up on that asari ship."

"You must have collided fairly hard with a piece of debris as you were pulled into space," Liara said. "Or perhaps the side of a maneuvering shuttle or escape pod."

"God, I hope she's not out there somewhere. Chances we'd find her in time, or alive…" She sat back and looked at Liara. "You said your daughter saw her?"

"I believe so, yes. That is where we are heading now. I need to speak to her, find out exactly what she saw."

"You think there's a chance she's not out there," Ashley guessed.

"My daughter asked for her, but did not mention you," Liara said. "That could be because her thoughts were only for her father, but it could also be because she did not see you as she saw Del. We do not know what happened in that cargo hold. Melara was the only one there. It could be that you were blown through and out so swiftly she literally did not see you, or did not see you long enough to identify you. But then, if Shepard did the same she would not have seen her either, or long enough to identify who she was."

"So because she woke up and asked for her, that means she saw her face long enough to identify who she was."

"Yes. I am hoping that is because Melara briefly passed herself through the Fold and saw her in your universe."

"Which would mean Del didn't get blown out at all, and she's still there."

"Precisely."

"God, I hope that's the case."

"Was she at least in a hard-suit?"

"Yeah, we all were. We linked the Fold up to Osco's ship, trying to stop her. We were going to set off a bomb, but Doc wasn't sure what would happen if it went off and destroyed the anchor on the other side. She was afraid that the Fold would randomly link to another anchor that might allow a toxic atmosphere into the room or that was on the bottom of the ocean or something like that. Also, we were setting off a pocket nuke so radiation backwash was a concern. So the Captain insisted everyone be hard-suited."

"That is something then."

"How long has it been since the battle?" Ashley asked. Liara was quiet when she spoke.

"Nearly eighteen hours now."

"Hard-suit oxygen packs in our universe only last about four hours in vaccuum…if they're not damaged," Ash said softly.

"Yes. Ours too," Liara said just as softly.

The pair remained silent the rest of the trip.

As the shuttle touched down at the monastery and they disembarked, Liara saw her wife emerge and head their way, brows knit with concern. She steeled herself. She had only told Sam that she had been called up to one of the ships, but not exactly why. She had wanted to verify the news or identify an imposter before Sam found out more details. Now, there was no way her bondmate was not going to recognize who she was with.

"Ash's been asking for you," Sam said as she drew near, her eyes fixed to her wife and not yet having really glanced at the woman beside her.

"Yes, I am sorry I-" Liara began, then blinked in surprise as the gasp of recognition came from a completely unexpected source-Ashley.

"Sam? Oh, my God! Sam!"