A/N: This is the final chapter – thanks for reading and yes, I plan to write more Aria/Tevos tales. Once again, Tayg helped to make this a much better chapter through her editing and constructive feedback and I owe her big time! Thanks to everyone that left me a review, PM or just read from a distance. It has been fun to create this and I hope you enjoy…

Chapter 11: Return

Over the course of her mandated bed rest, Shepard noticed a change in her lover. She could not quite put her finger on it, but Liara seemed more empowered and assertive in their intimacy. Shyness and hesitation no longer existed between them. Using their bond to push their bodies to climax with authority and wanting and knowing just how far to go before causing pain, resulted in Liara's mastery of Shepard's pleasure.

The beautiful, naked form of Liara was close enough to the Commander to let her take in her body heat, but denied her the physical contact she desired. Two days of bed rest had left her wanting more of Liara, but her recent wounds were also still healing and a reminder of the their mission. Not able to resist her temptation, Shepard pulled Liara closer, while gently stroking her back and inhaling her floral smell. Once Liara was pressed up against her, Shepard planted a kiss on her forehead and watched her sleep. Maybe I should get a concussion more often.

The movement caused Liara to stir. She turned over and started to pull away as if to get up. A wide smile appeared on Liara's face and her blue eyes wore a playful expression as she pulled the sheets up to her chin. Before Shepard could complain, Liara pounced on top of her, encircling her chest with her thighs. Leaning down to kiss Shepard passionately, she whispered softly, "I love you, you know."

"I do… and you know that I love you too, Liara." Not wanting Liara to retreat, Shepard strained her neck to plant another kiss on her lover's lips. She could see Liara's excitement and felt a slight charge from her biotics, signaling that she wanted more than her kisses. She reached out to touch the breast that was just out of range, when a sudden flash of pain rushed through her that became readable on her face.

"Shepard… are you hurt?" Desire was suddenly replaced by concern as Liara returned to Shepard's side.

"I'll be okay." The pain was a reminder of their recent mission and it was also something they had neglected to talk about. Shepard's brow furrowed slightly as she was reflecting on everything that had taken place. "What exactly happened between you and Aria when I was knocked out? Do I need to be concerned?"

Liara was not fazed by the question, "No… let's just say that I have a unique understanding of Aria's motivations… and she might have some insight into mine as well."

"Now I'm really curious, how could anyone ever understand her without being in her head?" Shepard's eyes suddenly got bigger as her face betrayed her state of shock. "Please don't tell me that you melded with her… Liara, what the hell happened?"

Recalling the events in her mind brought up all kinds of emotions for Liara. Her blue eyes slightly glazed over and went out of focus as she thought about her response. "It was necessary; you did not see what they planned for us."

Sensing her lover's discomfort, Shepard reached out to pull Liara back into her embrace. "It's okay… I'm right here… Liara, please let me in…"

Feeling the safety of Shepard, Liara decided how to explain her meld with Aria. Her eye's swirled black and she reached out to Shepard's mind. No words were needed as she allowed the memory to flow to her lover.

The meld lasted only a few minutes and when it was broken, Shepard held Liara even tighter. As she digested all the emotions between the two asari and took in the danger of the situation, tears started to form in her green eyes. "I had no idea you both went through all that," Shepard reflexively kissed Liara and stroked her crest. "Remind me to thank Aria."

Feeling somewhat relieved to have been able to share everything with Shepard, Liara wanted to focus back on the few hours they would be able to savor before charging into the next mission. The playfulness returned to her face and she again pushed Shepard back into the bed. "Enough of that now… I am not done with you yet…"

Shepard obediently followed Liara's cues and readied herself for her lover. "Who am I to argue?"

Omega had undergone damage as a result of Cerberus, but nothing in comparison to its people. Aria had been busy directing the cleanup, making sure that resources got where they were needed most. The threat of Cerberus had been eliminated and the virus was properly destroyed, but Omega seemed like a ghost of itself without all of the inhabitants. Luckily, the residential districts were relatively untouched as far as damage and the comms were back in working order. Aria was confident that Omega would be ready to receive the refugees from the Citadel and the Reaper War.

Crews had worked tirelessly to ensure that the Omega Clinic would be ready to assist with the inevitable medical care needed by its newest residents. The markets had been cleaned up and restocked to allow for commerce and the mercs were under Aria's authority to guarantee some type of law and order. Afterlife would be the next area to receive the workers efforts, as it had been transformed into a macabre, makeshift detention area where much of the population had been exposed to the virus.

Looking out on what remained of Afterlife from her private lounge; Aria was reminded of the true evil that was Cerberus. She could not wait to have all remnants of their experimentation gone and have her haven back. The thought of the virus and how close she had come to becoming a victim of it filled her with anger. If not for Liara, could I have stopped them? It was a thought that she pondered more than once.

Aria's contemplation of the last few days was interrupted as she noticed someone approaching her. The anger faded slightly and a smile started to cross her face as she saw Samantha Traynor. The girl still looked nervous as she came to stand in front of her, but she was wearing a large smile. "Hello, Sam… How is everything coming along?"

Eager to tell Aria of her success, Sam thought about giving her a breakdown of all the work that she had completed, but quickly changed her mind. Instead, Sam thought to focus on her most recent project, "Ah… Hi, Aria… Tali and I have your vid comm all set up and tested… you can use it whenever."

"Thank you, Sam." Enjoying how uneasy Sam could get in her presence, Aria thought back to their game night, sported a devilish grin and changed her tone, "Maybe you could come by later… we could play another game of chess. I do believe you owe me a rematch."

Since she had won their first chess game, Sam started to feel more confident. Her posture lightened as she considered the offer, "I would love it, but I have a lot of work to do before we leave Omega. I am supposed to head back down to the clinic and assist Tali."

"Too bad, I was hoping that I could even things up," Disappointed with Sam's answer, Aria shook her head but was also laughing slightly. "Don't be a stranger to Omega… you know we do offer more than chess or at least we will once things get back to normal."

Blushing from Aria's suggestion, Sam decided it was time to make her exit, "Ah… Thanks Aria. I will keep your offer in mind." As she turned to leave, Sam was still looking at Aria and walked directly into Shaya.

Shaya had observed Traynor while she was working on the main comms in the control room and had taken note of her comfort with computers, but complete lack of social nuances with people. To help perpetuate Sam's discomfort, Shaya reached for Sam's arm and delicately stroked it. She donned her most seductive smile and used her melodic tone to continue Aria's offer, "I could show you some of those, 'other' attractions."

Flustered again by the physical contact, Sam was immediately intimidated by the very attractive asari dressed in full heavy armor and sporting an equally impressive sniper rifle. "W-what, oh sorry… I didn't mean to run into you. Th-thank you, but I better be on my way."

Shaya rolled her eyes and let out a slight laugh, "Your loss!"

Sam hurried off to the clinic feeling rather anxious, but also a bit curious. Maybe I'll come back to Omega once this war is over.

Impatient to check out her new vid comm and to see how the restoration of her apartment was coming along, Aria decided to head to her quarters. She stood and looked over Afterlife again and then headed for the private door that led to her apartment. A warning beep from her omni-tool indicated that someone was attempting to reach her. Another wave of annoyance rushed over her as she answered, "Yes… what now!" The voice that answered was not the one she was anticipating.

Undeterred by Aria's response, Liara continued, "Aria… I was hoping that I might talk to you later?"

Aria stopped and gave her full attention to Liara, her voice changed to a more friendly tone, "I have some time now. I was just heading to my apartment inspect your team's handy work. Care to meet me there?"

"Yes, I will be there momentarily."

There were still emotions and memories that were unresolved between the two asari as a result of their meld and Aria did not like for other's to know her as intimately as Liara now did. The longer she replayed that incident in her mind, the more she found herself admitting that she actually liked and trusted Liara. Shepard will just love that I've melded with her girlfriend. She laughed at the thought and continued on the familiar route to her apartment.

When she arrived, Aria was pleased to find that any evidence of Cerberus had been removed from her living space and the remodel was almost completely finished. The vid comm was set up in a private section that doubled as an office and also held a large desk made with wood imported from Thessia. The center piece of the room was a wall sized window that looked out to the asteroid field and was naturally illuminated by the mass effect ring of the station. Placed in front of the window was a large divan and table made from the same Thessian wood as the desk. Tucked on the opposite corner of the room and not visible from the door, was her overly large bed, changing area and en suite.

A few workers were peering nervously at Aria waiting for some acknowledgement of their labor. In keeping with her authoritative bravado, she addressed them with her most commanding tone, "Everyone, get the fuck out… now!" Happy with their reaction, she watched as they quickly scampered away, afraid to invoke her wrath.

About an hour later, the door to her apartment chimed. Aria had been seated on the divan with her legs crossed; taking in the view she had missed since her exile. Rising to her full height, she stood as regally as she could in front of the window, folded her arms and faced the door, "Come in."

The doors opened to reveal Liara, wearing a traditional asari cut green dress with a white and black stipe that went all the way down the front. She looked relaxed and confident, every bit the Matriarch's daughter. She graciously strode into the room and made her way to stand before Aria. Her voice was steeped confidence as she made her greetings, "Aria, thank you for seeing me." Trying to lighten her tone slightly, Liara handed Aria a bottle, "I thought that you might like this… I think it is one of Thea's favorites."

Looking over the bottle with curiosity, Aria accepted the gift. It was a bottle of Armali Sapphire, a very expensive and hard to find bottle of wine from Thessia and also one of Tevos's favorite indulgences. Aria's expression changed slightly as she accepted the gift, "Thank you and how do, you know what Thea likes?"

Maintaining her form, Liara placed her hand on her hip, narrowed her eyes and released a slight laugh, "I am a very good Shadow Broker. That is part of what I want to speak with you about."

Hearing Liara admit to being the Shadow Broker caused Aria to smile slightly and assured her full interest in their conversation. Aria motioned to the divan, placed the wine on the table and sat down again. She immediately assumed her casual position by crossing her legs and stretching out an arm on the back of the divan toward Liara. "You have my full attention… please go on."

"You know I have various agents throughout the galaxy. Most are currently focused on the Reapers and how they are advancing, but I have two on the Citadel currently and I would like them here on Omega."

Her brow furrowed and Aria did not look happy by the request, "Why would I want them here and who exactly are these agents?"

Ready for Aria's resistance, Liara persisted with her requests, "The first is Councilor Tevos's assistant, Neota. She provides me with updates on the Councilor and her various activities." Liara shot Aria a knowing glance at the mention of the 'various activities' and then continued, "She is also a fully trained commando that is quite efficient with biotics. I thought with all the attempts on the Council that Thea could benefit from a bodyguard as much as from a true assistant."

Laughing at the thought of Thea knowing her assistant was a Shadow Broker agent, Aria lost any hint of formality with Liara. "You are good… okay, I can see her use. Just don't think that she's having unlimited access to my data and I'll be keeping my eyes on her. What about the other agent?"

Liara broke her eye contact with Aria and suddenly looked uncomfortable with her next request, "I know a good bartender…"

Aria again broke out into a full roaring laugh and knew immediately who this 'bartender' really was and what they meant to Liara. "Oh… a bartender, hmm… You of course mean your father, Matriarch Aethyta." Hoping for a reaction, Aria watched Liara's expression and was a little disappointed that she didn't give her one.

Expecting the slight ribbing by Aria, Liara allowed her to finish laughing before she continued, "Yes, Aria… my father. She is not really one of my agents. In fact she was hired by the Matriarchs on Thessia to keep a watch on my activities. I would like to assure that she is safe and thought that knowing who and what she is to me; you would be able to do this."

Thinking about the implications of Liara's request, Aria stopped laughing and became more serious. She was still relaxed and her tone was friendly as she answered, "I think I can find her something to keep her out of trouble. Maybe I can have her be Patriarch's personal bartender… I think they would like each other." The smile returned to Aria's face at the thought of Patriarch and Aethyta together.

Although she did not fully get the meaning of whom Patriarch was, Liara was happy that Aria had agreed to help. "Thank you, Aria," Liara dipped her head to show respect to the elder asari. "We will be leaving soon, before everyone starts arriving. It is good of you to offer Omega as a home to the refugees."

"Yes, well it seemed like a good excuse to get Thea here." Aria knew that Liara would not totally buy her rebuttal, so she decided to change the questioning. The bravado snuck back into her voice, "Liara, what did Shepard think of our meld?"

Again, Liara looked a bit uncomfortable and struggled to maintain eye contact. "I showed her what happened. She was concerned…"

"You shared our experience with her!" Aria's cockiness was all but gone and for a moment, she lost her composure.

"Aria, she is my bond mate… you cannot expect that I would be able to keep that from her. If it matters, she is grateful to you… as am I."

For once, Aria did not have a quick comeback. She wasn't sure of how she felt about Shepard knowing her intimate thoughts; Liara was one thing but Shepard too.

Sensing the change in Aria, Liara decided that it might be time for her to head back to the Normandy. "I will be in touch after everyone has arrived." Liara rose off the divan and stood before Aria. She bowed her head and placed both palms out toward the asari.

Aria matched Liara's actions and placed her hands atop Liara's in acceptance of the asari equivalent of a hug.

"May the Goddess protect and guide you," Liara held the pose for a moment and then looked at her elder. "Thank you… for everything." She did not wait for a response and quickly left the apartment to return to the Normandy.

The work on Omega had continued almost non-stop and had left the station in a state that would allow its new residents to be comfortable. Afterlife was ready to help make people forget, Omega Clinic was stocked and staffed to aid those that were suffering and the markets were available to offer normalcy. Over all of it, Aria T'Loak took back her mantle as the Pirate Queen of Omega.

Aria watched the Normandy leave. Shepard had assured her that she was going to go after Cerberus. They were heading to Sanctuary to find out what had happened to the human population of Omega and they would share any of their findings. She will hit those bastards hard. I bet she hates them almost as much as I do.

Normandy had been gone for a little over a week when the first shuttles from the Citadel started arriving. A steady stream of ships was heading through the relay and Aria's people were busy coordinating the landings and the renewed influx of refugees. All-in-all, the flow continued without incident and Aria had her people waiting to direct the refugees to their new homes. Seeing the bustle of the station had a revitalizing effect on Aria and all of Omega. Her spirits improved with each notification of a successful landing. The return of so many to Omega, her station and her protection allowed her to thrive.

Finally Aria received the call that she had been waiting for, the Councilor's shuttle was ready to dock. Aria started to feel anxious and euphoric about the imminent reunion with Thea. To help maintain her emotional control, she decided to wait in her quarters and allow Tevos to come to her. Instead of pacing in front of her window, Aria opened the bottle of Armali Sapphire and poured a small amount for herself. Closing her eyes, she deeply breathed in the bouquet of the wine; it smelled delicious and reminded her of Tevos. The moment was broken when the door chimed. She's here… She smoothed out her leather outfit, placed the glass on her table and attempted to ready herself, "Come in."

As the door opened, the elegant form of Thea Tevos was revealed. Her presence commanded as much authority as Aria's and she carried herself with the pride associated with the asari Councilor. She was dressed formally in a floor length cerulean dress that looked like it had been tailored to show every curve of her well-formed body. Entering the room, she stopped to look up at Aria and exhaled deeply. Her composure broke slightly and her breath caught in her throat. Theas's chest tightened and she felt lightheaded, but she managed to hold her façade of calmness as she fought to speak, "Greetings Aria… You look well."

Equally taken but determined to remain in control, Aria motioned for Thea to come to her, "You look incredible... I see that you made it here okay…" Attempting to stay calm, Aria refilled her wine glass and poured one for Thea, "Armali Sapphire… a gift from Liara."

Thea approached and accepted the wine. She took a slow drink, closing her eyes and enjoying the rich tones of the wine, which was now both a reminder of Thessia and Aria. Placing the glass on the table, she returned her focus to Aria, "I must thank Liara, it is delicious…" At the mention of Liara, her expression changed slightly to show trepidation. Small lines formed around her eyes as she squinted and they filled with concern, "Aria, I read Shepard's reports… how could Cerberus experiment on people the way they did? Do you really think that they would try and target the Citadel?"

Reaching out with her hand and wanting to offer comfort, Aria took a step a closer, "I don't know why or how. All I know is that I stopped them and I'm glad that you're here, Thea."

Thea eagerly accepted her hand and brought it to her cheek. Their eyes locked and Thea was pulled into Aria's arms, she did not resist. Thea whispered, "I missed you… I am thankful that you insisted I come."

Aria kissed Thea's full lips and then teasingly nipped at the stripe that bisected her lower lip. She held Thea tighter and felt her lips part, allowing her tongue access to her lover's mouth.

Moaning slightly, Thea probed back at Aria's tongue with her own. She felt the worry over Cerberus shift into her desire for Aria. Pushing their bodies closer together, Thea started to slide Aria's leather coat off her shoulders.

Reading her cues, Aria found the zipper of Thea's dress and began pulling it down to reveal her well-toned body and firm breasts. Her hand moved from the zipper to cup her breast. Thea's dress dropped to the floor in a mound around her feet.

Struggling with Aria's tight leather pants, Tevos finally pulled away from Aria's embrace and used her most seductive voice on her lover, "Take those ridiculous pants off." She backed up into the bedroom, not wanting to take her eyes off of Aria.

Quickly removing her remaining clothes, Aria followed Thea into her bedroom, making sure she admired the view in front of her, "Satisfied?"

Reaching up to touch her breast in an attempt to tease Aria, Thea smiled seductively and proceeded to stretch out across Aria's obscenely large bed. "Are you going to watch or are you going to join me?"

Aria was sporting an evil grin that betrayed her pleasure at watching her lover caress herself, "I thought I might watch for a while… please continue."

The mood was suddenly broken by an incessant buzz being emitted by Thea's omni-tool. Thea sat up suddenly, all playfulness was immediately gone as she went to the pile of her clothes to find the source of the noise. She activated the device, but limited the video ability.

"What is going on?" Aria was suddenly concerned by the change in Thea and moved to her side.

"It is an automated alert from the Citadel and is a special frequency that is reserved for the Council only." Her voice betrayed her concern and she looked pale, but she continued, "It looks like a fleet of ships with Cerberus identification docked at the Citadel a few hours ago. The warning only went out once before it was blocked."

They both knew what was happening. Aria could only think to comfort her lover. She realized that if she had not insisted, Thea would be on the Citadel and would be a prime target of Cerberus. She instinctively reached for her in an attempt to support and protect her. "You're safe, Thea… You knew that this could happen, but you're safe with me."

Thea was in shock, but she accepted Aria's embrace and allowed herself to be held. She felt sick at the thought of what could be happening to the Citadel. She also felt guilty that she was safe and in the arms of her lover, while so many were at the mercy of terrorists.

Aria tenderly picked up Thea and carried her to the bed. She climbed in next to her and held her, while gently stroking her crests. Her own emotions were in flux as she started thinking back to her brief captivity and the realization that she could've lost Thea if she had not listened. It was too much for even the Pirate Queen to fathom. She kissed her neck and followed upwards to her jawline.

Pulling Aria closer, Thea kissed her mouth and lightly licked her lips. She needed the strength and support that Aria could fill her with. Her eyes started to swirl to black and she reached out to Aria with her mind.

Not hesitating to let her in, Aria opened up to Thea. Their two souls became one. Hurt became comfort, fear became strength and anger became love. No words were needed between them as they held each other, content to just be together.