The hatch above Miranda slammed shut with a sickening finality. She had always known Brooks was a snake, but the woman had really picked the worst possible moment to prove it. Gone now was any hope of escape or reinforcements, and as she heard Shepard's footsteps drawing closer, Miranda knew she'd have to talk fast if she, and more importantly her sister, were to have any hope of survival.

Closing in on the source of the metallic crash, Shepard's finger twitched on the trigger of her rifle. The way that Liara had screamed when she raised her barrier, the blood on her head from where someone had hit her… The Spectre had rarely been as ready to kill someone as she was when she turned the corner and saw Miranda standing in front of her. What stayed her hand, though, weren't the wounds the operative had sustained or even her raised arms; as angry as Shepard was, she might have fired anyway. No, it was the expression on Miranda's face. In all the battles Shepard had fought beside the woman, she had never seen her afraid.

"Wait," the operative pleaded, "Don't shoot."

"Give me one good reason not to," the Spectre growled, her whole body practically quivering with coiled rage. "You twisted my body! You tried to break my mind! You nearly killed Liara!"

"I know," Miranda said wearily, dropping her shredded arm. "I wouldn't expect you to forgive me for any of that."

"Then why shouldn't I kill you?" Her hesitation was passing. She felt like she had already let Miranda live too long.

"Shepard." The single calm word yanked her attention around, focusing it on her injured lover standing behind her. "Don't do it."

"Liara," she started, surprised at what she was hearing, "She almost…"

"This isn't about her." The asari's hand came to rest on her armored back. Shepard was better than this. She was a hero and Liara couldn't let her own plight turn her commander into a cold-blooded killer. "You didn't let Miranda control you before. Don't let your anger at her do it now."

Shepard exhaled, relaxing her grip on the trigger. Liara was right, damn it. "All right, Miranda. What the hell do you want?"

"My sister needs help." She could see confusion in the commander's eyes. Given the frosty state of their relationship, she had never told Shepard about Oriana. Even when their father had tracked down her sister, she went to Cerberus for assistance instead of her. It had been a horrible mistake, and if she didn't correct it now, the only person she had ever really cared for would pay the price.

"I told you that I ran away from my father, but what I left out was that I took my baby sister with me when I did. Cerberus helped me to protect her from him, but now, she's their hostage. The Illusive Man made it clear that if I failed on this mission, Oriana would suffer for it. I know what you must think of me, but I'm responsible for her, so here's the deal I'm offering you: keep her safe and I'll give you everything I have on Cerberus."

Shepard wanted to call Miranda a liar but what she had seen in the woman's eyes told her otherwise. They had been filled with the same fear she had felt when she saw a gun put Liara's head, and that meant that Miranda would hold up her end of the bargain.

"Fine," she snarled, trying to let go of her anger. "You have a deal." She tossed a medi-gel pack to Miranda. "Now, apply that to your arm and disable that fucking collar you put on Liara."

Miranda injected the medi-gel and as the cool feeling of relief flooded her body, she sent the over-ride signal from her omni-tool to the collar. It popped open and Liara threw it to the ground, rubbing the sore skin of her neck.

"Better?', Shepard asked her lover tenderly, and when the Shadow Broker nodded, she turned back to Miranda. "Now, as for intel on Cerberus, you can start by telling me about whoever it was that just abandoned you here."

In spite of the pain she still felt in her arm and the humiliating defeat she just suffered, Miranda forced a small smile to her lips. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about her."

Maya Brooks snickered to herself as she hurried across the landing pad. Honestly, as far as she was concerned, this mission couldn't have gone much better. Sure, the plot to kidnap Liara had gone awry, but she'd never really been sold on the value of trying to extort Shepard anyway. And the look on Miranda's face when she realized that Brooks wasn't her obedient little pussy-licker… well, let's just say that her distraught expression was going to occupy a prominent place in Maya's jill-off bank.

All she needed to do now was take the shuttle over to pick up Dr. Eva at the secondary rendezvous point and get the hell out of there. The data on the prothean weapon should be enough to keep the Illusive Man happy and with any luck, she'd even get him to give her the assignment to take care of Oriana Lawson. The thought of visiting a few of the humiliations Miranda had subjected her to on the bitch's little sister was already putting a spring in her step and sending a tingle between her legs.

Settling back into the pilot's chair, she engaged the ignition controls, but even as the thrusters fired, she heard another sound alongside them: the icy voice of Miranda Lawson. "Hello, Brooks," the prerecorded message started, seeming to come from every direction at once, "If you're hearing this, it's because the ship has detected your omni-tool signature and not mine, which I can only assume means you have betrayed me. Well done, I suppose, though clearly not well enough."

Trying hard not to panic, Brooks leaped up out of her chair and dashed to the shuttle doors. She pounded on the release control, but the hatch wouldn't open and all around her, she could hear an ominous roar as the engines moved past operational and towards critically overheated. The ship started to shake with the strain and over the loudspeaker, she heard Miranda's last words. "Goodbye, Maya," the operative said with unsettling cheerfulness. "I'd like to say it's been fun but, frankly, I've had better."

"Gotta say, Williams, that thing was one nasty piece of work."

Ashley nodded, rubbing her sore arm. What had looked like Cerberus' inside woman, Doctor Eva Core, had proved in addition to be a particularly dangerous combat android. The thing had damn near broken her wrist before Vega caught it with a shotgun blast, and even then, it had taken a couple of stabs from her omni-blade before it stayed down for good. "Thanks, James, you saved my ass back there."

He grinned. "Don't mention it. So, what do you think that pedazo de mierda was doing up here on the roof anyway? Waiting for a pickup?'

"Probably." Suddenly, something drew her eye and she pointed it out to James. Looking down from the roof of the facility, the two of them could see the silhouette of a Cerberus shuttle taking off. "All right," Ashley said, unshouldering her sniper rifle and trying to get a bead on the ship, "Get ready, cause I think we're about to have…"

Her words trailed off. Just as abruptly as the shuttle had entered their field of vision, it exploded in a burst of flame that stood out for a moment amid the dusty Mars sky and then vanished. "Never mind," she chuckled, "Looks like everything is under control."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sitting next to Liara on the shuttle back to the Normandy, Shepard wasn't fighting the urge to keep her beloved Shadow Broker close. The feel of the asari's body next to hers was soothing, a physical reminder that she had survived, and Shepard's frazzled nerves very much needed that right then.

"I will be all right, Shepard," Liara reassured her. "I am just a little tired.."

"Even still, I want Doctor Chakwas to take a look at you when we get back."

"If you wish." She put her head on Shepard's shoulder. "I'm just relieved you aren't angry with me."

She rubbed Liara's arm comfortingly. "Why would I be angry?"

Liara's voice dropped to a sultry whisper, making sure that the other passengers on the shuttle couldn't hear her. "I promised you I would look after your needs, and then I left you all those months on Earth without even a visit." She looked up affectionately at her commander, those big blue eyes just melting the human's heart. "I tried, but it just wasn't possible."

"I know you did. Liara, nine months ago, you stopped me from losing my mind. You've done more for me than I could've ever imagined. I don't blame you for the Alliance being assholes." She ran her hand down Liara's back. "Anyway, that's over now. You're coming back to the Normandy, and I can promise you one thing: you're not gonna be stuck behind the med-bay anymore." She looked over at Miranda, sitting on the other side of the shuttle next to James, her injured arm in a sling, her good one handcuffed to the bench. Even in defeat, the woman did have a calm dignity. "You can have Miranda's office. Somehow, I don't think she'll be needing it any more."

"What will happen to her anyway?", Liara asked.

"Alliance detention probably. I imagine she's in for some long debriefs."

Liara nodded. "Once we dock at the Citadel and I pick up some new communications equipment, I can arrange for my contacts on Ilium to move her sister someplace safe."

"Thanks. And, Liara," she added, planting a gentle kiss on the asari's forehead, "Thank you for stopping me from doing something I would've regretted."

"Well, you did save my life again," Liara smiled, "It is the least I can do."

"So, doc, how's she look?" Though Liara had assured her she was all right, Shepard couldn't relax fully until she heard Doctor Chakwas' verdict.

"Don't worry, commander, I'm giving her a clean bill of health. Most of it's just cuts and bruises and fortunately, those ugly collars are designed to inflict pain, but not damage their owner's 'property.'" Doctor Chakwas practically spat on the last word, leaving no doubt as to what she thought of anyone who would keep slaves. "It's just nerve stimulation; no lasting harm done. She can come by tomorrow if anything still hurts and I'd keep her out of combat for a few days, but she'll be fine."

Liara smiled up at the doctor. "Many thanks."

"My pleasure. I'm just glad that you're all right and back aboard the Normandy." She shook her head. "We're going to need people like you if we're going to survive this war."

As they stepped out of the med-bay, Shepard took Liara's blue hand in her own. "Come on," she told her, running her thumb over the scales on the back of it. "I'll get you to your rooms."

Liara's reply was warm but firm. "No."

"What do you mean?"

"Shepard," she pleaded, looking up at her commander, "We can deal with moving me in tomorrow. Right now, I need you to take me to bed."

"Are you sure?" Shepard's body shivered with anticipation at the thought but she had to be certain. "Your head…"

"Will be fine. You heard Doctor Chakwas." Liara turned to face Shepard, wrapping her arms around the Spectre's neck. "I have waited six months to have you again and I almost died today. Please."

Shepard couldn't say no, not just to Liara but to her own body. The Shadow Broker wasn't the only one who'd been missing her lover and right then the feeling of her pressed up against Shepard's body was making her cock stir.

In all the chaos, they hadn't had time for a proper kiss and with her decision made, the commander moved to correct that oversight. Her full lips caught the asari's soft, blue-purple lips with her own, sliding her tongue eagerly into her lover's eager mouth even as Liara was practically shoving her onto the nearby elevator.

As the doors closed behind them, Liara felt Shepard stiffen against her leg and she purred hungrily. After long months with nothing but her own hand for comfort, she was impatient and she buried her face in the Spectre's long red hair even has her fingers dropped down to the buttons of her uniform shirt. Her head still hurt a bit, but she didn't care anymore. More than she needed rest, she needed this, not just the pleasure but the renewed sense of connection with the woman she loved.

Throwing the commander's shirt open, Liara unhooked her plain black bra and ran her hands over the firm breasts beneath it, enjoying the feel of the stiff nipples poking against her palms. Shepard sighed happily at Liara's treatment. She'd spent the day with a hundred terrible things: the invasion of Earth, the murdered soldiers on Mars, the near-death of her lover, and losing herself in pleasure was exactly what she craved.

The elevator arrived at her cabin and she hurried off, picking up Liara in her eagerness and carrying her inside. The asari refused to take her hands off of Shepard's body, rubbing and stroking her now-bare torso as they entered the room. Already, the commander was straining against her pants, her erection pressing against her lover's ass, and she whispered huskily, "Jesus, I missed you, Liara."

She laid the Shadow Broker down on the bed, pulling off her clothes with swift, practiced motions. Beneath them, some of the bruises of the day's trials were still visible, but as long as Liara didn't mind, it made no difference to Shepard. There couldn't be anything more beautiful than her beloved, no matter her condition. "I missed this," she continued, kissing along the curve of Liara's neck. "I missed the feel of your skin." She dropped lower, running her tongue along the swell of her lover's breasts, flicking over the dark blue points of her nipples.

Liara's breath came in shudders as Shepard kissed her way downward. Her lust felt like a coiled spring, something wound too tight that was just now releasing itself and with every word her commander spoke, she came a little bit more undone.

"I missed the sounds you make," Shepard told her as she ran her hands over her hips, pulling down her damp white panties. "I missed how turned on you get for me." She ran her finger across the asari's azure, gathering some of her arousal and bringing it to her lips. "And I missed how you taste." She sucked eagerly on her fingertips and Liara trembled at the sight of it. No one made her feel desirable the way that Shepard did and she felt a fresh heat pulse in her azure at just the thought of what the Spectre was going to do for her next.

Lowering her mouth to Liara's sex, the commander inhaled the sweet scent. The asari was delightfully wet and Shepard eagerly slid her tongue around the edges of her azure before sliding it inside. Liara moaned as Shepard's tongue ran along her inner walls and the sounds and taste of her lover were making the Spectre's erection pulse. She reached down, unfastening her pants to ease the pressure, but didn't go any further. As badly as her cock was crying out for attention, it was Liara that she wanted wrapped around it; she'd spent more than enough time touching herself in lock-up.

Shepard's teasing strokes were already driving Liara wild and when the commander moved up, taking the asari's clit between her full lips, she almost melted right then and there. She was practically trembling with desire, the urge to meld pushing it's way to the front of her thoughts, but she beat it back. As badly as she craved the joining, she wanted to wait until Shepard was inside her. Instead, she tangled her hands in her lover's red locks and just tried to savor what she was feeling. She knew how badly the commander must want to fuck her, and the care that she was taking first, the way she lavished attention on her bud, reminded Liara how much she was loved.

"Goddess," she panted, "Shepard…Shepard…Shepard…" She couldn't think of anything else to say, but the commander didn't mind. She kept licking at her lover's clit, running up and down the shaft with her tongue, and as she felt the asari's hips buck beneath her, she added two fingers in Liara's azure. They were immediately soaked with her wetness, and Shepard's cock throbbed desperately at the thought of replacing them there. She knew how close Liara was from the sound of her cries and the motion of her hips, and she slid her digits up and down her inner walls even as she sucked harder at the head of her clit.

With a final press of her fingers, Liara came for her, her back arching with pleasure as more of her release coated the Spectre's hand. The feeling was electric, but even as Shepard's fingers coaxed more and more wetness out of her azure, Liara knew it wasn't enough. She needed her lover inside her in every way, and she reached down, tugging lightly on the commander's hair. "Shepard," she moaned, "Fuck me. Now."

The Spectre couldn't comply fast enough. Lifting up her head, she threw her pants and boxers the rest of the way off and pulled up alongside the asari, kissing her with a sharp urgency. While their tongues tangled, Liara reached down and wrapped her hand around Shepard's hard length. It practically jumped in her palm, and the Shadow Broker spread her legs, guiding the needy Spectre between them. Her lover's shaft was already slick with precum and Liara couldn't wait to have it inside her.

Lining up their hips, Shepard groaned with pleasure as the tip of her cock started to push past the entrance to Liara's azure. It was so tight around her, and she was easing herself in gradually, her self-control threatening to unravel prematurely otherwise. Abruptly, though, Liara lifted her hips up and pushed herself down on her cock, encasing Shepard suddenly in warm wetness. It was too much. After being deprived for so long, the sudden heat and pressure sent her straight over the edge in spite of her efforts to hold back. All she could do was grip the asari's shoulders as she came, spurting wildly inside her lover's azure, the pleasure temporarily blotting out her reservations.

"Shit, Liara," she panted as speech returned, brushing her fingers lightly across the asari's beautiful face. "That was… I didn't mean to come so quickly."

"I will take it as a compliment," the Shadow Broker smiled proudly, "Especially since I know you have more for me."

"Definitely." Once was not nearly enough for Shepard. Even while the shudders of her first climax were ending, she was still stiff inside her lover and in response to the asari's hips rising up to take her deeper once more, she started moving. Shepard went slowly at first, making long thrusts where she would pull almost all the way out before burying herself deep inside Liara once more. The edge was off of her need now, and she wanted to savor everything she'd spent months dreaming about, to prolong both of their pleasures.

Each time Shepard withdrew, Liara groaned a little at the loss of her lover, but the sharp feeling of fullness that came when the Spectre plunged back into her made up for it. Her hands caressed the strong muscles of her commander's back, pulling her deeper with each thrust, and when Shepard's tongue started running along the side of her crest, she could no longer fight back her urges. She felt incredible, and she needed to share it, to share everything with her lover. "Please, love," she begged, "I need… I need…"

"I know, sweetheart." Shepard could see the darkness forming in Liara's blue eyes, and she ran her fingers tenderly down the scales of her neck. "Go ahead."

Liara threw out her thoughts, clutching the Spectre's mind to her own. She could feel the straining need in Shepard's cock, the warm press of her own breasts against pale skin, the heat coursing through the human's body, and behind them all, the love and gratitude at their reunion that filled her commander. "Goddess, I need this," she whispered in Shepard's thoughts, affection and desire accompanying every word. "You don't know how much time I spent on Mars, wishing you were with me. In me."

A memory of Liara, lying naked on her bed, her hand between her legs, softly moaning Shepard's name hit the Spectre and it drove her wild. She sped up her thrusts, determined to give Liara everything she'd been missing. "It wasn't enough," Liara continued huskily. "I needed this, needed you, body and mind, every part of you."

"Fuck," Shepard groaned, her lover's words along with the squeezing wetness of her azure pushing her towards the edge once again. "I felt the same. Remembering the things you did to me, were all that kept me sane sometimes."

As Shepard rubbed against all the right spots inside of her, Liara's mind dove through layers of shared memory: riding her lover's cock in her cabin the night they had reunited, Shepard on Earth, stroking herself to the memory, the feeling of her own azure clutching at the Spectre's cock right then… She couldn't form words anymore, not even in her thoughts. The mixture of pleasures, past and present, hers and Shepard's, were all she could focus in that moment.

"God, Liara," Shepard groaned, lost in the sensations they shared. She reached down, grabbing the asari's soft ass, taking her lover as fast and deep as she could. She couldn't hold back much longer and she wanted to give Liara everything she had first. "Gonna, gonna…"

"Yes," Liara choked out in between her moans, wanting nothing more than their shared release. Her head threw back and a wordless cry ripped its way out of the asari as Shepard stiffened at her approval, her body straining as she exploded with a final, powerful thrust. Their climax was longer and more powerful this time, the asari's fluids soaking Shepard's thatch of dark red hair even as she filled her lover's pulsing azure once more. It felt as if all of the tension and longing they had both felt those long months were being released in one perfect moment, bliss and relief merging together seamlessly.

As her cock continued to spurt inside Liara, Shepard planted a series of small kiss along her lover's collarbone, panting with her exertions. She felt the asari's body relax beneath her, her hips slumping down, her arms resting on the Spectre's back. Their minds were starting to drift apart as well and the intense pleasure she had felt moments before was being replaced with an exhausted contentment. Looking down, she kissed Liara softly on the lips.

"God, Li," she sighed, "You're amazing."

"Mm, you too," the asari mumbled. As wonderful as her climax had been, it had also taken the last of her energy and all she wanted now was to fall asleep next to Shepard.

Shepard could hardly blame her sleepy lover. Even her own legendary stamina had been drained by the rollar coaster they had both been on the last 24 hours, and rest sounded pretty good to the weary Spectre. As she slid her softening cock out of Liara and took the asari into her arms, she felt something like peace in spite of all that had happened on that insane day. For months, she had been dreading the arrival of the Reapers, and as terrible as their attack was, at least now she could fight it. More than that though, she had Liara by her side once more, and if that wasn't a reason to fight… and win, she didn't know what was.

Sorry it took a little while to get to the reunion sex, but hopefully you found the ride interesting as well as the changes to canon. One more chapter to go: some more smut, and foreshadowing for the final part of this planned trilogy, Terminal Diagnosis. As always, thanks to everyone, reading, faving, and reviewing.