Just a bit of Shepard dealing with some stuff before the next big storyline push, I've tried to embellish the Citadel a bit, because it can't all be shiny and clean.


"Shepard is fine, she needs to burn off some steam that's all" Garrus took a swig of his drink and leant further across the bar. The lights were dull, music loud and he smirked as Vega eyed one of the Asari dancers.

"I don't know scars, she was pretty wrecked when we got back onboard after Garvug" The big marine's attention was split between the conversation and the lithe form next to him.

"That's just Shepard, always takes it personally when someone gets hurt" Garrus snorted and downed the rest of his drink "Doesn't seem to mind too much when it's her though"

"Yeah" James laughed "You got that right"

"Like I said, she's just burning off some steam" he glanced at Vega, smirked at his dilated pupils and the fine sheen of sweat on his brow "You enjoying yourself Vega?"

"Oh yeah" he nodded "I'm not so sure about Shepard though Scars, seems like she's got some crazy anger built up right now"

"Maybe she has" Garrus shrugged "Maybe she has..."


Shepard was drunker than shit. Laughing like a lunatic she plunged out into the street outside the grimy citadel bar, head spinning. The clean filtered air hit her hard in the face and the surrounding clubs and stalls weaved and swayed, the neon lit walkway tipping like a falling shuttle. She bent over, braced her hands on her knees and wrestled with the urge to vomit. After a few breaths she took a swaggering step forward as smeary bright light and sounds of laughter washed over her.

A ragged shape flew towards her from somewhere and struck her in the chest. Shepard grappled with it desperately, and then fell. She hit the ground with a bone-jarring crash.

Her world was dark for a moment, and then she found herself squashed into the ground as somebody knelt on her back.

"Get off" she gurgled, tongue thick and clumsy in her mouth. She shoved the person off with her elbow, rolled over and lurched up, stumbling about as the walkway see-sawed around her "what do you want?" she slurred at the big Batarian who was watching her, his face expressionless.

"Come with me" He took a step forward and took hold of Shepard's left elbow.

"Look..." Shepard wished she wasn't quite so drunk as she started to reach inside her jacket for her pistol.

"Don't think so" The Batarian kicked up with his knee and twisted Shepard's left arm behind her back. It was all done in the most expert fashion, and Shepard had to jump to ride the kick back tolerably. She let her left arm relax as she crumpled to the ground.

The Batarian growled as she fell, caught her other arm and pinned both her hands behind her back, using some sort of restraint to secure them there. Shepard knelt on the walkway and moaned, her head swimming. The Batarian seemed to laugh and then hoisted her up by the restraints, making her yelp as she was shoved, head down, along the walkway.

"What do you want?" Shepard repeated, trying to turn back and look at her captor.

"Shut up Shepard" He shoved her, hard.

Shepard staggered forward a few steps and then regained her footing. The Citadel was a swirl of lights around her, a seemingly never-ending plain of scattered radiance that faded away as they manoeuvred down less favourable streets, the streets that no one saw. They walked for what seemed like a long time, long enough that Shepard started to sober up, her implants already breaking down the toxins quicker than a regular human. She didn't feel so giddy or quite so nauseous anymore.

There were relatively few lights now as they passed between two windowless buildings.

"Here" The Batarian pushed her down an alley and she tripped over something soft, knowing before she turned that it was a body. She looked closer at the bundle of rags, which moved a little. The person was curled up under tattered blankets, head on a filthy sack. She couldn't tell if the dirty human face was male or female and the rags offered no clue.

"Excuse me" she muttered and carried on walking.

They left the alley and Shepard had to step over another two sleeping people. The street they found themselves on was dim and stank of something Shepard suspected was supposed to be food. As they walked up the street, under the grainy, flickering light of sporadic, monochrome lamps, they passed what Shepard thought was another drunk, lying against a wall. There was blood between the Salarian's legs, and a dark dried stream of it leading from his head. Shepard stopped.

"Keep going" The Batarian said "He's dying, been in a fight"

Shepard looked around but there was nobody else nearby. The Salarian's eyes fluttered briefly, as though he was trying to open them, then the fluttering stopped.

"There" The Batarian mumbled "Dead"

Shepard looked away and tested her restraints, they felt like they were made of fabric, possibly some sort of rope as they flexed against her wrists. The Batarian looked preoccupied and was probably assuming she would be too drunk to attempt a proper escape. With a grunt she twisted and heaved, a burst of biotic strength pulsing through her hands as the rope gave way, leaving her with livid bruises already starting to form on her wrists.

"Hey" The Batarian shouted.

Something sailed out of the darkness and crashed into Shepard's face, immediately afterwards something slammed into her back and the rear of her skull. She fell and lay on something hard, groggily wondering what sort of weapon he was carrying. Suddenly big hands were grabbing her. She had enough strength to kick up hard with one leg, forcing her arms up at the same time and grabbing some material, her shin connected with a groin. The Batarian started to go over Shepard's shoulder's, heading for the edge of the walkway that lead to the docks below. Then Shepard felt her own shoulders grasped, and as he thumped to the ground on one side and slid over the edge, she was pulled over. They were falling. She was aware of lights, then shadow. How far away was the dock?

It was a double impact. She hit water, then something harder in a crumpling collision of fluid and body. It was cold and her neck hurt, then something pulled at her. She punched out, hit something soft, then pulled upright and found herself standing in a meter of dirty water. It was chaos - light and sound from the docks assaulted her. She let her head clear and then looked around. The Batarian was out of the pool and running, but he stumbled, fell, and as he started to rise Shepard slammed into him, bowling them both over. He lashed out at her face but missed, so he kicked at her as he tried to get away again. Shepard threw herself at the man's legs, bringing him down once more and scrambled over him on all fours, twisting him over so he was face up. She drew her hand back for a punch and built a biotic field up around her clenched hand. The Batarians face underneath her was twisted in terror, put into shadow by the lights of her biotics. Then, involuntarily, her biotics died, fizzing out with a strange tingling sensation. Shepard looked at her fist, confused as the Batarian choked out a laugh.

Shepard growled and punched with all her might. Her fist crashed into bone and the Batarian groaned.

"What do you want?" Shepard growled.

"To kill you, like you killed my people" He lashed out and punched Shepard on the jaw, but it was weak and hardly hurt "Murderer!" he spat.

Shepard grabbed the Batarians head with both hands, lifted it and banged it off the metal floor, then did it again. The Batarian struggled, but his hands beat uselessly off Shepard's chest and shoulders.

"Hate me if you like" Shepard snarled "I never claimed to be a good person, I just did my duty, what I had to do" Shepard lifted his head I hate Batarians and slammed it off the floor one more time. Her ribs ached and her skull felt as though someone was standing on it. She felt sick, the anger and disgust she felt towards herself making her retch. The Batarian lay still.

She hauled herself up and staggered forward, attempting to brush some of the dirt and grime off her fatigues. She was in the dead zone, an area full or war refugees, the sick and injured. She ducked her head and stumbled off down the walkway towards the elevators that would take her to the upper levels, and finally back to the Normandy.

Shepard looked at the damaged people around her and felt dizzy; the gritty surface of the walkway beneath her still seemed to tip and heave. For a moment it was as if the citadel, the whole galaxy swirled around her in a frantic spinning tangle of nightmare shapes; a constellation of suffering and anguish, an infernal dance of agony and mutilation. She wandered past a military hospital being run by Salarians and Turians in a daze.

There were soldiers with limbs missing, others covered in bruises and bandages. Some lay gasping for breath on beds out on the street, mumbling, moaning or screaming. There were people arriving covered in blood waiting to be attended to, people doubled up coughing blood into bowls, others strapped to beds writhing in pain. Everywhere there were people; on bed after bed, cot after cot, and everywhere too, there were the enveloping odours of corrupting flesh, harsh disinfectant and bodily wastes.

Shepard found herself standing in a small garden area to the side of the hospital, dark and dusty and deserted, hemmed in on all sides. Yellow light from the grimy windows spilled onto the faded artificial grass and cracked flooring. She slumped down onto the floor and leant against the wall, looking up at the artificial sky, eyes wide and staring. There was sweat on her brow and she shivered. Her omni tool chimed.

"Shepard" She croaked as she answered the call.

"Shepard where are you?" Liara's voice hummed through a field of static.

"Still on the citadel, the docks, level 12" she paused "I think"

"You think?"

"What do you want?" Shepard didn't mean to snap but her soul was raw and she ached all over. There was a long pause before Liara spoke again.

"Councillor Tevos is requesting you contact her at your earliest convenience"

Shepard nodded. Her mouth was dry. She swallowed with some difficulty, took a few deep breaths and rubbed her face. She wasn't sure if Liara had disconnected, secretly she hoped she had "I'll head back to the Normandy now"

"Shepard?" A pause. Shepard was sure she could hear Liara breathing "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine" She cut the feed from her omni tool and leant back against the wall, closing her eyes.


"Hey" she felt a hand touch her cheek, a soft voice "You're in the hospital, you're going to be alright"

She shuddered, closed her eyes more tightly.

"Can you hear me soldier? Your safe" a hand grabbed her wrist "Hey" gently pleading now "Wake up"

Frantically she tried to focus. Features began to emerge from the shadows, giving her something to cling to in the sea of confusion. A face bending near, a Turian, female, dark eyes, caring and reassuring.

"Where am I?" Shepard asked urgently, struggling to stand up, she didn't know how long she'd been sat here, she must have fallen asleep.

"You're in the emergency overspill hospital, in the docks, you don't remember how you got here?" The Turian entered something into her omni tool as she spoke.

"Yeah, I remember" Shepard frowned, her disorientation, while lessening dramatically, had unfortunately been replaced by a throbbing headache. A trade she was happy to accept.

"Your injured" The Turian woman gestured to Shepard's wrist and face "What's your name and rank Soldier?" she looked up when Shepard didn't respond "Ok not a problem, we get a lot of injured marines through this place that don't want to be identified" She shifted into a more comfortable position and grasped Shepard's hands in hers "Squeeze my fingers" she said.

"Can't" Shepard scowled at her hands.

The Turian nodded and ran her omni tool over Shepard's arms and sighed. Reaching down she pulled back one of Shepard's sleeves "You've been restrained at some point?" Shepard just nodded "Compressive neuropathy maybe? No, just a knock of the radial or median nerve, it may be a couple of hours before you can fully flex your fingers"

"May be?" Shepard smirked at the woman "You don't sound so sure"

"Well human physiology is not my strong point" she probed along Shepards forearms "You're lucky you're in such good shape, your muscle mass probably protected you but you need to keep a watch for compression injuries and you're going to get a lot of swelling" she rocked back and studied Shepard's face, brushing a lock of hair off her forehead "You have a laceration through your eyebrow, we need to go into the hospital so I can take care of it, can you walk?"

Shepard nodded, grunting slightly as she pushed herself to a standing position. She extended her hand to assist the Turian to her feet and gestured for her to lead the way.

Shepard entered the hospital and nearly gagged at the over powering smell of disinfectant. The corridor curved sharply as they seemed to follow the sounds of screams, down a small, narrow set of stairs, over a step where a broken bed was tipped onto its side and eventually down to a quiet corridor where the light was jade and there were many doors. The Turian stopped and opened one of them, soft citrine light spilled out. There was a short hall, a bathroom off, then the treatment room. It was small, full of floor to ceiling mirrors and was surprisingly clean.

"Sit here" The Turian indicated, motioning to the bed in the centre of the room. She remained silent as she fumbled with some equipment on a small tray.

"Can't help but notice all the people outside with worse injuries than me" Shepard settled onto the bed and started swinging her legs, her eyes scanning the room "Why the special treatment?" she held the Turians gaze.

"I didn't think..." She started to clean the wound on Shepard's eyebrow "It would be conductive to the war effort to let Commander Shepard sit in the dirt while I treated her"

"Ah" Shepard exhaled slowly.

"I wasn't sure initially" she placed a few sterile strips across the wound "Until you opened your eyes anyway" she pulled a stool over and sat down facing Shepard "What are you doing here?" her small dark eyes flicked over the Commander as her mandibles shifted "in such a state?"

Shepard looked away "An angry Batarian picked a fight with me"

"He lost?"

"He lost"

The Turian nodded and stood, reaching for a small cloth. When she cupped Shepard's chin in one hand, Shepard tensed "You have blood on your neck" She said quietly, wiping the skin gently.

"It's not mine"

"Why did he attack you?" She continued to wipe the area.

"Because of the Bahak system"

"Oh" her movements stilled "That wasn't really your fault"

"Yes it was"

"But you had to do it"

"No I didn't"

"But the Reapers would have been here sooner if you hadn't"

"Has it made a difference?"

The Turian sighed and threw the cloth she had been using into a small bin "No, but only because people didn't listen to you" she averted her gaze and took a step back "If it would have been a human system, you would have made the same decision right?"

And that's the real problem "I don't know" Shepard muttered, jumping down from the table. She swayed with a sudden wave of dizziness and would have fallen if the Turian hadn't slipped her arm quickly around her waist "I need to get back to my ship, I'm ok"

"Not quite, you're not. You may be strong but you're not made of steel. You've taken a nasty blow to the head, I'll walk you back"

"No need" Shepard shrugged the support away and stepped forward, sighing in relief as the dizziness subsided "You're needed here"

The Turian woman made a motion as if she was about to speak but thought better of it. Shepard was watching her closely, her face inscrutable, speaking volumes with her silence.

"True, I just thought you could use a friendly face?" The Turian shrugged.

"Are you always so observant?" Shepard smiled, just the barest twist of her lips.

"Occupational hazard. Being a doctor is a bit like being a detective, you have to learn not to overlook the subtle details. Like what a patient isn't telling you, what they really need. How about you, are you always so controlled?"

Shepard nearly laughed "Yes. A lifetime in the Alliance will do that to you" she grew suddenly still, her expression thoughtful "This hospital's a wreck, you're barely coping, stay here, it's where you're needed, and you've done too much for me already"

The Turian clicked her jaw "And just how would you define too much Commander? Is any help at all too much?"

Shepard looked away and motioned for the door, but paused, hand on the door knob. The Turian was looking at the wall next to Shepard, who followed her gaze and was momentarily shocked. She found herself looking at her own reflection in the full length mirrors; face dirty, eyes dark, hair mussed, clothes torn and soaked. Shepard stared for a moment, not recognising the face, and then she twisted and kicked into the image. The wall shattered in a chorus of screams as glass exploded around her, shards and splinters glittering through the air.

"What's your name?" Shepard asked, staring disconsolately at the fragments around her feet as she tried to flex her fingers.

"Miliaya" she shuffled, suddenly wary.

"This hospital is about to cave, I'll have supplies sent here, doctors, more staff" She kicked at the glass "Sorry about that"

"No problem" Miliaya took a step forward "Commander, are you alright?"

"Yes" Shepard toed the glass "People seem to be asking me that a lot lately"

"With good reason I think"

Shepard had never been an expert at reading Turian emotion, but if Miliaya was human, Shepard would have said she looked worried, concerned maybe even compassionate.

"Thank you for the help" Shepard gestured to her eyebrow and turned back to the door, struggling with the handle as her fingers rebelled.

Miliaya watched as the Commander slipped from the room, thinking that the famous human was remarkably more fragile than she thought possible.


Garrus bumped into Shepard as she was exiting the hospital.

"What happened to you?" he took a step back and looked her over.

"How the hell did you find me?" Shepard narrowed her eyes "And a fucking angry Batarian happened to me" She continued walking, pushing past the Turian as he gave the exterior of the building a wide eyed once over.

"Is there any other kind?" he grumbled, catching up to her "Liara told me to come find you, said you sounded... distressed?"

"Really?" Shepard didn't say anything else as they made their way to the lift and back to the upper levels. When they stepped out of the elevator Shepard sucked in a breath. People walked or sat at tables under the awnings and archways of the cafes that lined the main walkway. A fountain gurgled just off to their left and laughter drifted up through the artificially warmed air from some nearby tables. Something about the place disgusted and angered her. Everything was so right, so safe and ordinary. She felt like a thug, out of place and tainted. She'd felt more relaxed in the dirge of the lower levels.

"It's all so fake isn't it?" Garrus stood next to her, his voice soft "Do you think they really know what's going on at all? Even the Cerberus attack doesn't seem to have fazed them, you must look like such an animal to them"

Shepard turned and met his eyes "Yeah? Screw you Vakarian" She replied caustically.

If Garrus was taken aback by Shepard's sharp retort, he didn't show it. He knew from long experience that the best way to get Shepard to talk about anything substantial was to anger her. Years of training had made her too proficient at disguising all of her emotions, but when she was angry, her control slipped. Garrus was the only person, other than Liara, who could goad the Commander into revealing herself, which was probably the reason they were still friends, and he wasn't dead.

Shepard shook her head and strode forward, threading her way through clumps of people as they stood talking, or trading. She walked determinedly with her head up, a severe, slightly forbidding look on her face, discouraging contact. Garrus on the other hand seemed to stroll with an almost disjointed looseness, head moving from side to side looking at everyone and no one, walking with the kind of easy familiarity that he possessed when on the Citadel.

"Did you get whatever it was out of your system?" Garrus asked as they stopped in front of another elevator, this one would take them to where the Normandy was docked.

"Not even half" Shepard all but growled as she jabbed the button "I hate this place" she jabbed it repeatedly.

Garrus made a noise that was a cross between a cough and a giggle.

"Don't you laugh at me Vakarian!" Shepard continued to jab the lift button but she found herself unable to stop the smile spreading on her face.

"That's it commander, you take it all out on the lift console" Garrus patted her back.

"Garrus, did I ever tell you that I hate Batarians?" She stopped hitting the lift button and glanced at him.

"Can't think why, they're such a charming species" he shook his head "Half the galaxy hates them Shepard, so what?"

"No, I mean I really hate them" She crossed her arms and waited as the lift chimed and she stepped in, Garrus close on her heels "I'm not sure I could have made the same call if it had been a human colony, what does that say about me?"

"That you're human?" Garrus tilted his head as his mandibles flared "I know where you're going with this Shepard, don't bother, regardless of whether you think you had hidden motives or..." he held his hands up "Some sort of ancient prejudice, it's done now"

"Yeah and every Batarian left in the galaxy thinks I did it to spite them" Shepard kicked at the lift wall like a petulant child "Would you have made the same call?" green eyes lifted to his.

Garrus had never known a time when Shepard had needed reassurance for any decision she had made, and for a second he contemplated brushing the question away. But Shepard's voice was raw and her eyes were so wounded. He reached out and touched her hand fleetingly "Yes" he answered, knowing in his heart that it wasn't a lie "Now put it to bed Shepard"

Shepard sighed and it was like the last breath of some storm that had passed through her. She met the Turian's gaze for a moment and nodded once, then looked away and walked out of the lift.

"Shit" She froze as her gaze landed on someone familiar in the crowd.

"Urgh" Garrus grunted next to her "Al-Jilani, let's hope she doesn't see us"

"Commander Shepard!" Shepard winced as a shrill voice drifted to her over the throngs of people.

"Keep walking" Garrus shoved Shepard forwards.

"Commander Shepard!" Al-Jilani shouted as she caught up to Shepard "Commander, can you spare a minute?" she fumbled with her microphone.

"A minute?" Shepard glanced at Garrus and then back to the reporter, she paused and nodded once "Ok"

"Really?" Al-Jilani keyed something into her omni tool and then looked at Shepard "everything alright Commander?" she cast her gaze over the damp uniform, fresh facial dressing and the dark smears under Shepard's eyes.

Shepard smiled weakly and nodded.

"Ok" The reporter dragged the word out "I just want to ask you a few questions" all the time she was looking around, her gaze darting everywhere "What's your reaction to Councillor Udina's betrayal in the trust you put in him?"

"I didn't put any trust in him I-"

"But he was the human councillor" Al-Jilani interrupted without looking at her.

"Not the one that I suggested" Shepard sighed, her eyes settling momentarily on the small knot of people that had gathered behind them, listening in "He didn't betray me, he betrayed humanity" someone cheered.

"Always one to play the crowd eh Shepard?" Al-Jilani smirked.

"You're just jealous that your audience likes me better than you" Shepard said waving the buzzing bulk of the camera away like it was some sort of large and cumbersome insect.

"I've heard rumours that you jeopardized the entire Quarian fleet to get the Geth onboard with the war effort" Al-Jilani entered something into her omni tool again "Do you really think it's a good idea to be working with the Geth Commander? Let's not forget that they were allies with the Reapers and Saren in the past, people would say its more evidence pointing to your questionable judgement, especially since the Bahak system"

"You know, I actually thought for a moment that you were interested in the war" Shepard shook her head.

"You are the war Commander"

"And that shows just how ignorant and pampered you are Al-Jilani, try visiting the docks more often" The reporter went to speak again but Shepard cut her off "You're very lucky that you'll never have to make decisions that might mean you make mistakes you can never forget and never be forgiven for-"

"So you're admitting the events of the Bahak system were a mistake?"

"You never listen do you?" This time someone laughed.

"Now Commander you-" Al-Jilani practically growled the words out.

"Don't you 'Now Commander' me" Shepard threw her hands up in the air "We're done here"

Al-Jilani looked at her, wide eyed, and then suddenly she pushed into the Commander, both hands against her chest. Shepard staggered back, surprised and amazed "I hate you, you've ruined my career" the reporter spat, her eyes were bright and staring, voice low and thick so the crowd couldn't hear.

"Al-Jilani.." Shepard replied annoyed, and pushed herself away from the reporter, trying to stop the interview before it became even more of a farce but the woman wouldn't stop, and pushed Shepard again.

"I hate you" she almost whispered in that deep, hushed voice.

Shepard took her wrists in her hands " Al-Jilani" she said, voice low, eyes flicking to indicate the people standing behind them "join the fucking queue" Shepard pushed her away as she tried to turn and leave the scene, but the reporter wouldn't relent and attempted to grab her from behind "Stop this" Shepard shook her off, almost embarrassed. She jerked her head in the direction of Garrus, swatted the camera away and clattered quickly down the steps that lead to the Normandy's docking bay "Let's go"

"She's finally gone mad" Garrus muttered as he jogged down the steps next to her "You must have knocked something loose the last time"

"No!" Still the woman threw herself down at Shepard, clutching at her waist as she wailed.

Shepard turned around, about to tear herself violently free when suddenly a hand closed over the reporters wrist. It was a blue hand, attached a muscular forearm. Furious, Al-Jilani looked up into ice cold blue eyes that robbed her of any voluntary motion. Then everything went black as something hard hit the side of her head and she was thrown, unceremoniously down on the stairs in a bubble of purple biotic power.

For a moment, the only sound was Liara breathing. Then the Asari sighed and brushed her hands off on her jacket.

"Well" Shepard shrugged as she looked up at Liara, arching her eyebrow "That was good timing"

"Impeccable I'd say" Garrus added.

"Shepard, she was all but mauling you on the galactic news" Liara walked over to her partner and reached up, touching her fingertips to the newly covered gash on her forehead "Are you all right?" she asked softly.

"Mauling?" Shepard asked, ignoring the question. Liara couldn't help but smile at the commander's electric grin, but she saw something else as well, Shepard looked tired, shadows under her eyes marred her handsome face and there was tightness in her jaw that belied the strain she couldn't hide.

"Practically" Liara deadpanned.

"Doctor T'Soni" Shepard was still smirking "My hero"

"Well" Garrus coughed "I'm going back to grab Vega, I have a feeling he might be causing trouble somewhere, last time I saw him he was being slapped by an Asari"

"All right, be careful" Shepard said.

"Me?" Garrus scoffed "Shepard, really" he laughed to himself as he walked off, leaving Liara shifting awkwardly next to the unconscious reporter at the bottom of the stairs.

"You look tired" Liara said "Did you get any sleep at all after Garvug?"

"A little" Shepard lied.

"How do you feel?"

"Rough" Shepard admitted with a sigh, mainly because she knew she wouldn't be able to hide it from Liara.

"What happened in the Docks?" Liara asked, knowing Shepard's self destructive behaviour was unusual.

"Nothing good...It was..." Shepard went to say something else but stopped and ran both hands through her hair.

Liara just nodded, knowing there was more, but for the moment all she wanted to do was get Shepard back onto the Normandy. "Let's get out of here"

"Yeah" Shepard reached down and caught the Asari's hand, running her thumb in small circles over the back of it, dully aware of the small crowd still watching them with a degree of curiosity.

"Shepard, are you drunk?" Liara pulled her hand free and took Shepard by the elbow. She guided her away from the crowd and down the walkway that lead to the Normandy.

"Not really" Shepard replied, frowning "Not anymore anyway" Shepard sighed and allowed herself to be lead, letting Liara take what control she needed. She wasn't sure how to explain to Liara that this was how she dealt with the lingering effects of adrenaline and fear.

Fear was a sensation she had always dealt with in her role as soldier, but never on the level that she faced now, whenever Liara was out in the field "I'm ok" Shepard mumbled.

"That's not the point" Liara looked at her, face devoid of tenderness.

"Isn't it?" The gentle tone, the even gentler hint of a reprimand, dissolved whatever anger Liara had been feeling at discovering her half drunk lover in such a state.

"Yes" Liara exhaled slowly "That's all that matters"

"I needed to..." Shepard stumbled over her words "I needed to forget for just a while" she stepped forwards and slipped her hand along the base of Liara's neck, caressing her tenderly.

"Next time you need to forget" Liara rested her cheek against Shepard's shoulder and wrapped both hands around her waist. The pistol tucked away in Shepard's hidden holster pressed against her breast, a harsh reminder of the complex boundaries that defined their relationship "Come and find me"

Shepard smiled as she ran one hand up and down Liara's back "I'll do that"

"Good" Liara pressed her lips to Shepard's throat, whispered a kiss against her skin "Thank you"