Liara awoke to the familiar feeling of Alliance-issue bed sheets. She sat up in bed, and datapads scattered to the floor. She smiled briefly before rolling out of bed, and walking out of the dim quarters into the narrow workroom filled with monitors. She closed her eyes, hearing the soft purr of the Normandy's engines beneath her.

"You look peaceful," he said from the doorway, leaning a shoulder against it and crossing his muscular arms.

Liara nodded, not opening her eyes. "It's strange. I actually miss this office."

"Why?"

She shrugged, looking at him with a soft smile. "Who knows? Because it was work that needed doing and I was close to you? Because I felt like I had a purpose then?"

He straightened up, and walked across the room, sitting in a small chair wedged between two data servers. "You don't have purpose now?"

Liara let out a laugh, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "No. This isn't purpose, what I'm doing now. This is selfish."

He leaned back in the chair, arms crossed again. "You don't really believe that."

Liara's eyes wandered across the monitors, not answering. She leaned over the terminal, shaking her head. "I don't know anymore. I know all the reasons I want to find you, and they're all mine… but if I'm honest, I can think of a handful of reasons I'd like for the galaxy to not find you."

"Because it's always dangerous?"

Liara laughed again, turning to face him. "Is that what you think? That I'm afraid? That was never it. I don't want the galaxy to find you because it means somehow, something will pull us apart again. And it terrifies me." Liara looked at her feet. "I don't know how to live my life without you, and it terrifies me. This is just our strange song and dance. You die, and I find a way to bring you back." Liara took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking at him. "And then you leave." She shook her head, wiping away her tears. "Something always draws us apart."

He stood then, and approached her. He cupped her face in his hands, and she sighed, leaning into him. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"We won't let them," he whispered.

"Shepard…"

Liara awoke suddenly. She listened for a moment, trying to identify what could have disturbed her much needed rest, but could not readily find anything out of order. She rolled out of her sleeper pod, and walked back into the Vanguard's galley. Much to her surprise, Shepard was seated at the table.

He was watching something on an extranet terminal. Liara took a step closer, leaning in to see what it was he was fixated on. It appeared to be an old news clip or documentary about himself. The narrator was discussing his fight with Saren on the Citadel. At that moment, Shepard realized Liara was hovering nearby. He paused the video and turned to her.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," she said softly. "I was just going to ask if you needed anything."

He said nothing for a moment. "This was really me, wasn't it?"

Liara pursed her lips, and answered, "It is you, Shepard. We just have to find a way to make you remember."

He sighed then, leaning forward in his chair, elbows rested on his knees. "I've probably watched a dozen of these vids. I just... can't make sense of it. First human Spectre, destroyer of Saren and Sovereign. He came back from the dead, destroyed the Collectors, cured the genophage, brought the Council races together and stopped the Reapers..." He shook his head with a chuckle. "It sounds like fiction."

Liara smiled softly, recalling how many times she'd seen Shepard in that same pose, thinking over their next move. She leaned against the bulkhead, and shook her head.

"But it's not, Shepard. You did all those things. I was there... well, for most of them."

He turned to her then. "Something else I saw on one of those vids."

Liara said nothing, waiting.

"You kissed me."

Liara dropped her gaze to the floor.

"That's why you're doing this, aren't you? We were together, you and I."

Liara swallowed hard, and nodded. "Yes, Shepard. I was yours, and you were mine." She smiled softly. "I'm doing this because I lost the man I loved 18 months ago, and until a few days ago, I thought I had the next 900 years to mourn you. And then I found out there was a chance you were alive." Liara did her best to ignore the tears welling in her eyes. "It was a chance I had to take. Because that was the kind of love we had."

He stood then, and approached her. He studied her face carefully, as if memorizing every inch. Liara held her breath, caught in his intense gaze. Shepard was mere inches from her. She could feel the heat of his presence, and for a brief moment, nothing else existed.

"I'm sorry," he said at last. "I don't remember."

Liara faked a smile, and did her best to continue to ignore the tears building up on the rims of her eyes. "Its fine, Shepard. We'll get this all figured out." She shook her head, brushing away her tears quickly. "Excuse me, I need to speak with Feron."

With that, she hurried past.

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The overhead lights flickered to life as Liara opened the door to the underground safe house. She went immediately to a terminal and began typing. Feron followed shortly after, sitting at the adjoining terminal. He too, began working quickly.

"I've been very lax the last few days, Feron. Anything of immediate importance?"

Feron continued to scan the cables quickly before he replied, "doesn't look like it. A few financial details, and some information on some corrupt politicians we've been tracking… nothing major. The agents I sent to try and infiltrate Nova Hammer haven't replied yet. That's a little worrisome, but it could be communication protocol on the station-"

"Wait," Miranda interrupted as she and Shepard entered. "You sent Shadow Broker agents to try to infiltrate Nova Hammer? Forget it. You haven't heard anything because they're dead."

Liara face was wreathed in anger. "You sent agents in? Without telling me? Goddess, Feron- they grow their own people! This is a black op! They don't recruit openly like Cerberus did!"

Feron's shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, I thought we could garner a little information-"

"Thought? Feron, you clearly didn't think about this at all! Damnit!" The terminal blared a harsh warning as Liara's fist connected with it.

"Easy," Shepard said softly from behind her. He stepped closer. "He was only trying to help."

Miranda shook her head. "We should leave immediately. They may have had identifying information on their bodies."

Shepard held up a hand. "Hold on, now." He turned back to Feron, stepping around Liara's chair and facing the drell directly. "Do your agents typically carry communications or items that could trace back to you?"

Feron shook his head. "No, when they go in, they go dark. Communications are all sent through public terminals that they happen to find on-site, or the information is held until they leave. Nothing physical in, nothing physical out."

Shepard studied Feron's face a moment longer before he nodded and turned back to Liara. "There, see? No harm done. For all we know, Nova Hammer might just assume they were Alliance spies."

Liara could only stare at him in wordless reply. She studied his face carefully, looking for a sign- any sign- that he was aware of what had just happened.

Goddess… He's in there somewhere. That has to be it. But how do I bring him to the surface?

The silence dragged on uncomfortably. Finally, Shepard let out a half-laugh. "What? What is it?"

Miranda spoke first. "Interesting."

Liara nodded. "It's you, Shepard."

Shepard shrugged. "Probably just all those vids and articles I read on the way back here. I still don't remember anything."

Liara nodded. "I remember back on Omega, you still retained a lot of the old Shepard's mannerisms. Even some of the postures you take up without realizing it. Must be some more of that," she mused. "Still, it's something." She smiled. "It's good to know that a part of you is still in there."

How can I make it stick, I wonder? It's like he's trapped just beneath this other façade, trying to break free…

Shepard nodded, although the look on his face told Liara he was less than convinced. She sighed inwardly before turning to Feron.

"I'm sorry, Feron. You know how much I appreciate all the hard work you've done for me. I overreacted. Forgive me, please."

The drell smiled and nodded. "Of course."

Miranda stepped closer to the terminals. "So, let's begin, shall we?"

Miranda and Liara went to work, devising a plan on how to restore Shepard's memory. They spent hours working over theories and ideas, studying neural maps from the Lazarus files. They decided to perform scans of Shepard's body, trying to re-map his physiology, and compare it to the old readings. Miranda developed a set of testing protocols similar to the ones she used during Lazarus, injecting Shepard with a chemical serum into the base of his skull.

"What's this for?" Shepard asked at one point.

"The serum will travel along your neural pathways, and highlight them against the next scan Liara and I take. Basically, it will tell us if your brain has changed in shape or at least give us an idea of how your synaptic pathways have been re-arranged."

"Changed in shape?" Shepard asked dubiously.

Liara let out a laugh. "It's called neuroplasticity. The brain changes shape for a number of reasons. We need to see if yours has changed, and if so, by how much. It might help us figure out what happened."

Shepard nodded. "Alright, but let's take it easy with the needles, eh? I'm not a big fan."

Liara and Miranda exchanged amused glances before bursting into a fit of hysterical laughter.

"What's so funny?" Shepard asked, pinning his arms across his chest.

Miranda replied mockingly, "the great Shepard, taken down by a syringe."

Liara laughed. "And here I thought the fight with the Reaper on Rannoch was going to be the end of him."

Shepard's brow furrowed playfully. "Not really fair to make fun of a guy who doesn't even remember the events you're talking about."

Liara smiled hopefully, placing a hand on his arm. "Soon, Shepard." She turned to Miranda. "Let's keep working."

Miranda took up station at the terminal as Liara helped Shepard onto the medical table. After he was still, the scanner swept over him twice slowly. Liara approached the terminal with trepidation, her heart thudding audibly.

Goddess, let everything be just as it was…

"Well," Miranda said, studying the scan with a critical eye, "that could be a problem."