A/N: As promised, I'd give you fair warning about any LiaraxFemshep scenes. The last part of this chap contains a love scene.

Chapter 3

"Assemble the fleet. Let's finish this," Shepard said to Admiral Hackett's hologram. Then she turned to Anderson's hologram. "Think you can hold out for two more days?"

"Absolutely!" Anderson answered without hesitation.

"Good. Give them hell for me until then. Oh and Anderson?"

He paused before turning off the communicator.

"Can you see if you can scan for any Reapers giving off unusual readings? Maybe a bigger ship like Sovereign's or one with higher energy readings?"

"Of course. What am I looking for?" he asked.

Shepard paused for a moment. She knew he wouldn't like the answer. "Harbinger."

"Harbinger? The Reaper controlling the Collectors in the Omega Relay?"

"Yeah."

"Damn, you think it's on Earth?"

"Yeah."

Anderson narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her face. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I'll tell you after this is all over. You can kill me then."

Anderson's eyes widened in concern, but she saw his trust in her win over his doubt. "Okay Shepard. But I expect full disclosure when this mess is over. Deal?"

"Deal," she said, nodding to her two superiors. They both nodded then their holograms faded from the comm.

She turned to see Tali standing in the entrance of the comm room. "The Migrant Fleet is ready, Shepard."

"Thanks, Tali. For everything."

"Shepard, you cleared my name of treason, spared my father a horrible shame, and you united my people with the geth after three hundred years of war. You have nothing for which to thank me. I should be thanking you every day for the rest of my life."

Shepard rubbed her neck in embarrassment. "All in a day's work. Don't worry about it."

"Relax, Shepard. I didn't come to embarrass you by gushing over your considerable pile of accomplishments," Tali teased.

Shepard coughed. "Oh?"

"Remember what I said back before our suicide mission to the Collector base? I said you were the only person I trust to link suits with?"

"Well hopefully that's changed to me and Garrus," Shepard deflected.

"Shepard, I'm serious. This may be my last chance to ever properly thank you and do this."

"Wait, you . . . you're asking . . .?"

"I would be honored if you would link with me, Shepard," Tali said. Her voice was uncharacteristically calm. The last time they had this conversation, Tali about exploded from embarrassment.

"Tali," Shepard said and placed a hand on the other's arm. "I'm honored beyond words, but the last thing I want is for you to get sick on the eve of battle. Tell you what. When this is all over, we'll link. That's a promise. I'll put it on the very top of my to-do list."

Tali hesitated. Shepard could practically hear the gears turning in her brain. She smiled and relieved the tension by giving Tali a warm hug.

"Okay, Shepard," Tali agreed. "But if you don't keep your promise, I'll kill you. And if you die, I'll have Cerberus rebuild you just so I can kill you again."

Shepard laughed and put her hands up disarmingly. "Okay, okay."

"And I don't care what Garrus says, you're going to be my maid of honor."

"How about I just stand next to both of you? I'm Commander Shepard! I'm so awesome I can be a man and a woman and be in two places at once! Wait, that didn't come out right . . ."

Tali laughed. Then her voice took on a more serious tone. "I'm sorry about Legion."

Shepard bit her lower lip to stop a sudden flood of emotion. The last thing she wanted to do was break down in front of her crew. "He died giving free will to his people. It was a good death."

"Shepard," Tali gently scolded.

"I know, I know. Well we have two days to catch up on sleep, so I'll be in my quarters. Maybe I'll actually get a full night's rest."

"Shall I distract Liara for you?" Tali teased.

Shepard coughed. "No comment."

A deep, penetrating darkness surrounded Shepard. She was vaguely aware that she was dreaming, but reality seemed so far away it hardly existed at all. She could hear whispering, but it, too, seemed far out of reach. She was trying to run, to find some kind of anchor, but she wasn't moving.

"You are small," a voice said, reverberating around her. She knew that voice. "You are fragile. And yet you come. You know you cannot defeat me. So why come at all?"

"I won't stop until I'm dead!" she shouted into the darkness.

Liara suddenly appeared in front of her, speaking in the same horrid voice of Harbinger. "You cannot save her. I will destroy her in front of you. This will unravel you. You are small. You are weak. You have built your entire basis of strength around a single asari. Foolish."

"Don't touch her!" Shepard screamed into the darkness.

"This hurts you," it said.

Liara's skin suddenly burst into flames and she threw her head, her face contorted with pain. She let out a terrible scream, a sound that tore through Shepard, threatening to break her.

"Liara!" Shepard screamed. She tried in vain to reach for her but she could not move.

"You are weak. And I will destroy you. I will destroy all of you."

Shepard bolted upright in bed, waking herself up with another, "Liara!"

She blinked back the light of the fish tank, disoriented and distraught.

"Shepard?" Liara asked groggily from next to her in the bed.

Shepard exhaled upon realizing she'd been holding her breath. She buried her face in her hands. She didn't want Liara to see her like this. Her eyes were wet. Goddess, she was crying. Shit, Shepard. You can't cry in front of Liara. Pull yourself together! she mentally scolded herself.

"Bad dream?" Liara asked, kissing her shoulder.

Shepard cleared her throat. "Yeah."

"Talk to me. Please don't shut me out."

"I've lost people, Liara. Thane, Legion, Mordin . . ." Her voice broke when she said Mordin's name. Of all the deaths she'd had to accept of late, his plagued her the most. "Harbinger . . . he . . . He's trying to get to me through you. Goddess, Liara, he killed you right in front of me."

"Shepard," Liara whispered. "It was just a dream. I'm here. I'm right here."

Shepard clenched her fists in frustration. "You'd think after a few million years of doing the same stupid thing again and again and again Harbinger would get tired of it all and leave us damn organics alone."

"Open your mind to me," Liara demanded suddenly.

Shepard was slightly taken aback, but she did without question. To her surprise Liara's skin began giving off the iridescent glow of a meld. Shepard almost put a stop to it since her mood had been killed by her nightmare, but she could immediately tell something was different about the meld. Liara cocooned Shepard's mind with her own and the room around them faded away.

"Liara . . ." Shepard gasped as blue arms made their way around her, encompassing her, cradling her. Her head fell back on Liara's shoulder. She felt weak. Nothing about the experience was negative, just overwhelming and the most beautiful thing she'd ever experienced during the meld. It took on a new dimension of intimacy as Liara's thoughts passed through every centimeter of Shepard's mind. It felt like their very souls were writhing as one.

'Embrace Eternity, Shepard,' Liara sent gently through the meld.

'What are you doing?' Shepard managed to ask amidst the sea of pleasure and emotion.

'Giving you a reason to come back to me,' Liara's words filled her mind. 'Giving you a reason to live, my Commander."

Shepard softly cried out into the night, swept away by the current of tenderness. All of her burdens, all of her worries, concerns, and all the weight she carried passed between them. For the first time since the war started, Shepard felt . . . lighter. She had always been careful not to share too much with Liara during their melds because she never wanted to burden Liara. She had always managed to shield Liara from the weight she carried. But this time was different. This time her guard was completely down. She poured everything into Liara and Liara, in turn, gave everything. Tears spilled from Shepard's eyes, unbidden, and they burned like fire. Tears of relief, tears of pain, or tears of pleasure, she didn't know. The lines between herself, her emotions, and Liara were so blurred, Shepard scarcely knew where she began and Liara ended.

It didn't take long for inevitability to climb its way through Shepard's core, though Liara wasn't touching her there.

'Come for me, my Commander,' the thought filled Shepard's head. An uncontrolled groan escaped Shepard's lips as her body obeyed Liara's sweet command. Every part of her, to the core of her being was completely encompassed in Liara's love. She felt unraveled, exposed. It was the most beautiful gift Liara could have given her.

The two of them toppled back on the bed, their bodies as entangled as their minds. For as fit as she was, Shepard still found herself out of breath and stars danced across her vision. They lay in silence for quite some time as Shepard struggled to collect herself. Liara sprinkled soft kisses on Shepard's chin and cheeks, pausing occasionally to lightly kiss her lips.

"Your DNA is quite fascinating," Liara remarked after a time. Her sapphire eyes pierced Shepard's with a suggestive twinkle.

"Glad to know you still think I'm fascinating," Shepard replied with a cheeky grin.

Liara gave her a significant Look. Shepard blinked. No. No way.

"Wait . . . did you . . . did we . . .?" she stuttered. Her brain was still only functioning at half-capacity.

Liara's playful grin widened.

"No . . . you're messing with me. Wait, really?"

Liara nodded then planted a very enthusiastic kiss on Shepard's lips. Shepard felt excitement climbing its way through her for the first time since . . . well since she could remember.

"You're . . . we're . . . I just got you . . . we're going to have a . . . baby?!" she finally managed to ask.

Liara giggled. "Well look at that. I finally made the Great and Powerful Commander Shepard speechless. If I'd have known it was that easy, I would have done this years ago."

Shepard threw her arms around her lover with a joyous laugh. For a moment she forgot about the war, the Reapers, her troubles, her worries, everything. For one beautiful moment, she wasn't Commander Shepard, savior of the Citadel, Specter, and would-be savior of the galaxy. In that moment she was simply Shepard: lover, future mother, and the happiest human in the entire damn galaxy. If only for a moment, she was truly happy.