When Athena threw the biotic blast that had sent Beth careening into the wall, Liara had been desperately trying to figure out how to shut down the alien equipment that was keeping her daughter trapped in that resin.

Back on Rakhana there had been an identical device, but it had taken a cave-in to switch it off, and it had apparently done so by tumbling the silver egg from its position above the pedestal. Here, however, nothing seemed to be adequate to make the egg budge. She tried her own biotics, but even her strongest hit did little more than make the egg wobble a bit before stabilizing. She tried to physically grab it, but when her hands entered the energy field holding the egg aloft, pain immediately jolted up her arms and made her fingers numb. The sensation passed quickly and it hadn't left any permanent damage that Liara could tell, but it was clear she would not even be able to touch the egg- let alone move it.

She had just hefted a sizable chunk of debris with her biotics, intending to fling it into the side of the egg, when Athena sent her blast.

There was a deep, hollow ring, like a huge bell had been sounded, as the blast passed through Melara's resin trap. Liara was in the shadow of the trap, and so the biotics didn't hit her directly as they passed around it like a wave around a ship's bow. The room shook horribly, the tunnel and far wall both collapsing and the floor seeming to shift underfoot. Liara dropped the stone she'd been lifting and stumbled to keep her balance.

The wave missed her thanks to the wall of resin, but it hit the pedestal and its egg full on.

The egg, torn from its base by the dark energy, sailed into wall behind it and shattered. At the same time, the rotating rings within the pedestals' base were ripped out of alignment, colliding with each other and then tumbling free in a whining flash of sparks.

The egg on Rahkhana had not been destroyed when it fell from the pedestal. It had fallen to the ground, then made a high pitched whine as if it were going to detonate, but at the last moment it switched off and went dormant.

This egg shattered against the wall, and as it did, it exploded with a bright flash of light.

That light filled up Liara's vision for a moment, before a thick, heavy veil of darkness collapsed over her.

When consciousness returned, she found herself lying on the ground. Her ears were ringing. Air was thin and hot and wet and thick. Throbbing pain filled her from a dozen quarters and a heavy, crushing weight seemed to be pressed on her chest. When her hand found it, she discovered a thick shard of metal had punched through her chest.

It was deep, and it was bad, and she was bleeding heavily. Wrapping her hand around it loosely, doing the only thing she could to stop the bleeding, she fought to stay conscious for a few moments, then managed to look around.

It was quite clear she had been out for some time. Bodies littered the room that hadn't been there before- geth, and jabberwocks by the look of it. The room itself had additional damage. The resin trap was gone, and she could not see Mel or Athena.

She could hear an ongoing fight, however. Moving weakly, she pushed herself into a sit, feeling blood tickle the back of her throat. As she did she heard her daughter's voice yell a sudden warning.

Then, a gunshot, and Athena's voice screaming.

"I told you! I told you I would hurt you!"

Mel…

Fear for her daughter lent strength to Liara, and she stumbled up to her feet, still pressing her hand to the wound in her chest. Swaying as if drunk, she somehow found the rifle she'd been carrying and picked it up, stumbling forward. She finally worked her way around the debris enough to catch sight of Melara- thank the Goddess, she doesn't look hurt- just as she leapt in a hole in the floor.

Drawing what speed she could out of her legs, Liara picked her way across the floor to that same hole. Her vision was swimming, dark creeping in thin fingers along the edges of her sight, and her whole body felt like it was shaking, but she could not stop.

Ashley and Sam flashed over her thoughts. Irie, and Gerty, and Lily. Daenys and little Aleu.

She wobbled at the edge of the hole itself. It was dark, and it was impossible to tell how deep it was. She feared that using her biotics would drain the last of her energy, but she had to risk it. Flaring up, she made her mass next to zero and stepped into the dark, drifting down.

As her feet came to the floor she let her biotics die, and then folded down to her knees, collapsing forward. The rifle clattered as she barely caught herself, consciousness starting to dart away.

No. No, not yet. I have to find Melara. Goddess, please. Give me strength. Goddess help me…

Somehow, she found herself on her feet again, her legs carrying her forward. Cold sweat trickled down her neck and between her shoulder blades. The heat that had before baked this building had seemed to transform into a bone-aching chill that sank down through every millimeter of her soul.

Step. Step. Step…

When she finally saw her daughter and niece, she was not sure what was going on. Athena was on her feet, her back to Liara. Just beyond her, Melara lay curled on the ground, hands pressed to her forehead in a position that clearly denoted agony. Athena was holding something toward her that Liara couldn't make out.

The rifle in Liara's hand lifted.

"You are not your father," Athena said with bitterness. "You're weak, Mel, and I think the galaxy has had enough of you."

Mel suddenly gasped between her grit teeth, what pain she was in visibly increasing. A slip of blood, almost black in the dim gloom, ran from her nose.

For Liara, all sensation of pain and weakness vanished like ice in the fiery wake of the pure and unadulterated instinct of a parent to protect their child. She lifted the rifle and aimed it without effort, pulling the trigger. The bullet took Athena in the back, right between the shoulder blades. Without her barriers, the high-caliber rifle shot penetrated her hard-suit and then the flesh beneath it with ease.

"Do not touch my daughter!"

Athena folded without a sound, crumpling limply to the stone floor. A breath later, Liara's weakness and pain returned, the rifle sagging out of her hand. She looked toward her daughter, wanting to rush over and make sure she was all right, but her body would not cooperate. Her limbs all felt as if they had grown in weight by thousands of pounds. As Melara leapt up and ran for her, all Liara could do was reach toward her, the image of her daughter little more than smudges of light and color.

"Mama!"

Arms caught her as she collapsed, Mel dropping to her knees as she held her. "Mama! Mama, I have you," she said, before a grief-stricken groan broke free of her lips, her eyes catching the wound on Liara's chest. "Oh…"

Mel shook her head sharply, and Liara could see the usual stubborn stone setting into her features. "You're going to be ok Mama. It's all right, you've had worse than this before. I'm going to get you out of here, back to the prefab. You'll be fine."

Liara could do little but nod. She reached toward Mel's face. She wanted to ask if she was ok, but trying to speak made her cough, made the pain flare up hotter and brighter. Mel hurriedly shushed her. "No talking. It's ok. Just hang on. I'm going to get you to Lily."

Liara felt herself lifted, her head falling against Mel's chest. She closed her eyes. Everything felt so soft and subdued and distant.

She felt the distant static of dark energy flow over her skin as Mel used her biotics to lift them back out of the hole and into the main room. Liara thought she heard her say Daenys' name but it was miles away…star systems distant.

Darkness.

A cool breeze, smelling heavily of ehlas and the tinge of salt air, brushed over her face. As she took a deep breath of it, an unbelievable feeling of warmth and contentment and peace seemed to fill her. It made her smile, then laugh a little. She wound her arms around herself, giggling like a child, and just reveled in the feeling.

When she looked up again, she could see the ocean. The waves were blue and perfect, a color beyond color. The sky was washed in reds and oranges and pinks that she didn't know had even existed. Beneath her bare feet, she could feel soft grass. Her shoulder was against something hard. As she shifted and looked at it, she realized it was a tree.

Unwinding her arms from around herself, she put her hands on the bark. As she did, she could feel the life inside the tree, as if it were a distant happy sound that held a single, joyful note. It made her giggle again. Winding her arms around the tree, hugging it like an old friend, she pressed her forehead to it, just feeling.

Then, she felt hands around her waist. Though she had no warning she neither startled nor jumped. The hands slid slowly around her, drawing a pair of comforting arms around her body. A chin rested on her shoulder. Soft hair brushed against her cheek.

In the sweet, pure smell of the air came the odor of burning autumn leaves.

Her very soul seemed to shudder, and her mind seemed to clear a bit.

"Not going to turn around?" a voice, long missed, filled her ear.

"I am afraid," Liara replied, in a small voice.

"There's nothing to fear here."

Slowly, Liara straightened. As she did, the arms around her loosened a bit to let her move. In the distance, colorful sea birds chattered and sang along the cliffsides as she turned her head, and looked.

Dark brown eyes, and a lopsided smile. Thick black hair, with no mark of age.

The joy that Liara had felt just breathing in a few moments ago was replaced by an even greater one, a joy so powerful part of her was almost afraid that her very soul would be set on fire from it, unable to contain it.

With a half-sob, half-cry, her arms flew around Del and she held her close, every fiber of her rejoicing at the reunion. Del held her just as close, lifting her right off her feet and spinning her around, making Liara laugh again. As her feet came back down, she took Del's face in her hands and kissed her, then kissed her again, tears running down her cheeks as she did so, fingers tangling in dark hair.

"It's you…Goddess, it's you…"

Del was laughing too, meeting each kiss, never once loosening her hold on the asari. As Liara pressed toward her again, Del fell back, still holding tightly to her.

They landed on soft sheets, the familiar lines of their bedroom settling around them. Time vanished, thought vanished. All that remained was joy, was her. Their very essence seemed to merge into one, then dance apart again, only to merge once more. Even the most intimate Joinings they had before shared had been nothing like this. Liara never wanted it to end.

Then something began to bother the happiness. It started as a little tiny twinkle deep inside her mind, easily ignored or batted aside. Soon, however, it grew, and as Liara lay tangled up in the cool sheets of their bed, Del cradling her close, their legs tangled together, it finally broke free to the front of her mind.

Her brows knit, and slowly she sat up on the edge of the bed. Del sat up as well, brushing her hand over Liara's shoulder, kissing the side of her neck gently. "Liara?"

The asari's blue eyes moved over the familiar lines of the bedroom. It was just as it was supposed to be, just as it had always been…

…before the house had been demolished. Before Liara had moved away from Virmire forever…

…before Del had died.

"What is this?" Liara asked, her voice tiny and sad. "What does this mean?"

Del shifted again, holding Liara close, resting her head against the asari's. Her voice was softer- patient, and full of love, but somehow regretful at the same time.

"It's ok, Tianlán," she said. "Take your time. I'm here."

Slowly more memory began to return, more realization. She had been on that alien world. She had been badly wounded. The last thing she remembered was her daughter's voice saying the name of her bondmate, and then she was here.

"Is this…?" she said, but couldn't bring herself to say the actual word. "Am I…?"

Del gently kissed her shoulder. "Maybe this is all just a dream," she said. "Who's to say?"

"Is this real? Is this really happening?"

"Those terms don't really mean anything, Li," Del said patiently. "Only you can determine that. Do you feel real? Does this feel real?"

Her fingers drifted down over Liara's shoulder, then brushed back upward.

"Yes," Liara said breathlessly, turning her head toward Shepard's, her lips against her cheek. "It feels more real than anything else I have ever experienced."

"Then you have your answer."

Liara's brows trembled, and she felt tears again. They, too, felt more real than any tears she had ever shed before in her life. The peace and joy in her soul felt sundered suddenly.

"I cannot leave them," she said, her voice trembling, then shaking as she added, "But I cannot leave you."

"I've never left you," Shepard told her. "And you will never leave them. Listen, Li. Can you hear?"

Liara listened, and immediately she heard something…not with her ears, but somehow with everything, all parts of her simultaneously. She could hear Melara's voice. It was frantic, worried, terrified, grief-stricken, and yet incredibly brave and determined. There weren't words to it, not really, just feeling- and yet Liara understood it with perfect clarity.

And Irie. She could hear Irie the same. Lily, Gerty, Vina, Sam, Ashley, EDI and Sihra and more and more. Then, she understood she was no longer feeling just her friends and family, but millions of them, trillions of them, across unfathomable volumes. She could hear every Melara in existence. Every Irie, every Sam, every… she abruptly felt incredibly overwhelmed. She sucked in a sob and Del held her tighter, shhing softly.

Slowly, the voices and feelings began to fade. They didn't go away, but somehow she was able to move them into a different part of her being, refocus on here and now.

If here and now can even be quantified, she thought. She shuddered again, clinging to Del.

So many questions flooded through her mind, so numerous and complex that they blended into each other, and she wasn't able to give voice to any of them. Only two things remained very clear in her mind, pulling her in two simultaneous directions.

She couldn't stay. Her family needed her. Her daughters needed her. The fight was not yet over.

She couldn't go. She couldn't be parted from Del again. She had fought so long, and so hard. She had endured so much pain. It had nearly destroyed her, losing this. She could not do it again.

Was this a dream? Some delusional creation of her own mind, triggered by blood loss and shock, somehow formulated to ease her dying mind as her body slowly gave in to its wounds?

Or was this real? And what did it mean if it was? What came next?

Somehow, deep inside her, she knew it was her decision, and there was no wrong one to make. She knew, somehow, that not everyone got the chance to make such a decision. She also knew she had no way of knowing if this was just her subconscious trying to make sense of her dying delusion.

So many questions. So much swirled through her mind, and all of her just wanted to melt back into Del's arms and never let go.

And she could. If she wanted to, she could do just that. Hold the one she loved forever, and never, ever let go.

Let go.

Don't let go.

Her mother cradled in her arms, Melara rose up through the gap in the floor, feeling the sharp drain of her overused biotics. In the battle scarred room (which could barely be called such any more, as it was missing most of two walls and its ceiling, and part of its floor) she could see others had arrived. Several more geth, some damaged, turned her direction as she appeared. Beyond them she could see Ashley Williams in full hard-suit, and a few of her crew. Near what remained of the far wall, it looked like Vina was crouching with Daenys.

"Daenys!" she called, even before her feet hit the ground. The bristle of weapons aimed toward her quickly lowered as she landed. She was running forward the moment her feet had purchase, barking orders to the closest figure.

"Laws! Take two geth and go down to the next level. You'll find Athena and a strange device. Secure everything immediately and take it back through the Fold. Vina! Dae!"

Her turian second-in-command straightened, then ran her way. Daenys looked her direction but for some reason did not rise from where she was crouched.

Vina's eyes widened as she got closer. "Captain? By the stars, what happened?"

"Medi-gel. I need medi-gel," Melara said, lowering to her knees and cradling her now unconscious mother as Vina rushed to their side, already digging out packets and snapping them open. Mel all but snatched one out of the turian's hand, slathering it over the wound in Liara's chest.

"Hang on, Mama," she said again, softly. "We got you. You're going to be ok."

Vina started a scan, passing it over Liara's body. Her face was grim, expressionless. Snapping, she waved one of the geth Primes over.

"Mel, pass her to the geth," Vina said, meeting her commander's eyes. "We need to get her to Lily immediately, and the geth can move faster than you can."

"I'll take-"

Vina gripped her shoulder, shaking her head. "Mel, she has no time. You need to give her to the geth, right now."

The last thing Melara wanted to do was release her mother, but she knew that Vina was right. As the Prime approached, Melara got to her feet, lifting Liara up with her, before passing her into the Prime's arms.

"Go, as fast as you can," she said. The Prime nodded, then launched up into the air with its rockets, swiftly vanishing from sight.