When Shepard's shuttle arrived at the docking bay, she found the entire crew gathered there waiting, but even as they cheered, saluted, or otherwise welcomed her back, she only had eyes for one of them. Walking towards her with tears running down her face, ragged but still lovely, was Liara T'Soni.

Normally, Shepard would never have let the emotion she felt at seeing her lover again show in public, but in that instant, such concerns fell away. Without saying a word, she rushed forward as best she could, and as their arms encircled each other and their lips met, the urgency in Liara's kiss banished any anxiety Melanie had had about their reunion, sweeping it away in the bliss of the moment. As their embrace broke, she turned to her crew, but she could only manage a tired smile before taking Liara's hand and walking with her to the elevator. Though she was grateful for their reception, right then she couldn't find anything to say.

As the doors closed, they collapsed into each other's arms again, the commander tenderly stroking her lover's face. "Liara," she breathed, her own tears now mirroring her partners, "I…"

"Later. Right now, no words. Just you."

The asari's voice was chocked with emotion, and as soon as they stumbled together into Shepard's cabin, Melanie sensed Liara's mind pressing desperately against hers. She assented without hesitation and as they fell on the bed together, the rest of the world disappeared and their thoughts and experiences of the past weeks rushed in.

Instead of the anger at being left behind Melanie had worried she might find, sadness and regret filled the memories that washed over her. Liara's exultation and relief after the Reapers were destroyed turning first to uncertainty and than fear as the hours crawled by and no word came from Shepard. Her guilt and grief, lying on her bed sobbing, convinced that she had abandoned Melanie, that the Specter had died alone. Her heartbreak turning to joy when Hackett's call came in, only moments before Shepard's name was placed on the memorial wall. The weeks of waiting, of longing, of knowing that Melanie was alive, and yet not being quite able to believe it.

Even as she rode the emotional rollercoaster Liara had been on, Melanie sensed her lover seeing glimpses of her own ordeal: Harbinger's attack, her injuries, the Citadel, Anderson, the Illusive Man, the Catalyst. She could tell that Liara didn't understand much of the jumble she was seeing, but also that she could wait for answers, needing the reality of Shepard more than anything else.

"I'm still here, my love." she sent through the bond.

"You almost… I left you when the Normandy was destroyed, and I swore I would never do that again."

"It wasn't your fault. You were too badly hurt."

"I left you. I left you and then you were gone."

"I came back. You didn't lose me. Let me show you how much you didn't lose me."

"You are still in pain."

"It doesn't matter. I want this, want you."

Their lovemaking was quick and needful, but gentle. Melanie let Liara take the lead, her own body still weak. When the archeologist stripped off Shepard's clothes, she could see the fresh scars on her skin, but the she barely noticed them, all of her attention focused on the woman she had missed so desperately.

She ran her hands tenderly over Melanie, their joining allowing her to find the spots that brought pleasure rather than pain. When Liara's naked body slid down opposite hers, any discomfort the Specter felt was forgotten, lost in the sight, the scent of her beloved and the powerful love echoing through their minds. They came quickly, their heads between each other's legs, both desperate for their shared release, reminding them that this was real.

Lying entwined afterwards, their emotion at their reunion finally receded enough that they could talk. "I meant what I said to you," Liara whispered. "I am yours. I will always be yours."

"And I meant it too." Melanie brushed Liara's cheek with her hand. "You, being here with you again, it means everything to me."

They slept for a little while afterwards and when the commander stirred again, the first thing she saw was Liara, already awake but just lying next to her, watching her as she awakened. For a second, it's hard to believe Liara's really there, that this isn't just a dream, but the soft sound of the asari asking, "How are you feeling, love?" made it solid.

"Somewhat better. They'll fade, you know. The scars. Like last time."

"And what of those up here?" Liara asked, stroking Melanie's hair.

"They will too. A lot happened, and it make take a while to process, but I'll be all right."

"Some of what I saw in your mind… I didn't understand."

"It was pretty weird. I'll explain all of it, but can it wait? There's a lot to tell and I could really use some solid food."

"Whenever you are ready. In the meantime, I am sure the mess will not mind sending something to eat up for the savior of the galaxy and her very fortunate girlfriend."

"Savior of the galaxy? Is that what they're calling me now?"

"So I am told."

"That may take some getting used to."

They passed the time waiting for their food and eating with Liara filling Shepard in on the state of the crew. Most of them were well, but Liara was worried about Joker, the combination of the presumed death of his family and the loss of EDI having left him close to a break-down. When Shepard heard that, her lover could see the guilt in her eyes, and when she asked about it, the story of what had happened after they'd been separated on Earth began to pour out of the commander.

"I was in pretty bad shape when I made it through the beam. Anderson had too, but he'd ended up somewhere else. The place was a mess; bodies everywhere. They might have been making a Reaper up there, but we couldn't tell."

"We met up near some kind of console. Anderson got there first, but before he could use it, the Illusive Man found him. Those implants he'd gotten somehow let him control our bodies; neural induction maybe, I don't know. He started ranting about taking the power of the Reapers for humanity, but the way he talked, it was pretty clear he was indoctrinated. I was trying to break free, maybe I could have, but I wasn't sure, so I tried one last time to make him see what was happening to him. He denied it, made me shoot Anderson to show us his power."

Shepard's voice cracked as she remembered, and Liara placed her arms around her lover, fingers running through her black hair. "It was not your fault. There was nothing you could have done."

"There was, though; I got through to him and, when he saw what he'd become, he shot himself. Just like Saren. Whatever else he'd done, he broke free at the end. I went to the control panel, opened the arms, and Anderson and I just sat together while the Crucible docked. He told me he was proud of me but he was hurt too badly. Slumped over and died, and not a damn thing I could do about it. One more friend…"

Liara held her close, letting her partner take as much time as she needed. "Nothing happened though and Hackett called, saying the Crucible wasn't firing. I tried to get back to the control panel, but I didn't know what to do and my body was giving out… And then something happened. The platform I was on lifted up, and I was in another part of the Citadel, the place where Wrex found me. There was… do you remember what the Leviathans told me about the intelligence they built?"

"You said that it created the Reapers."

"It was there. It looked like a kid I couldn't save on Earth, but it was the intelligence. It told me that it was the Catalyst, that using the Crucible had changed it, altered things so that we had to find another solution."

"Solution to what?"

"It was like its creators; it thought that synthetics would always rise up against organics, would destroy them. It's answer was to 'preserve' the advanced races as Reapers, and let other life take their place."

"But that is insane."

"That's what I told it. It said I could use the Crucible to destroy the Reapers, but that there would be collateral damage…"

"EDI," Liara said softly.

Shepard nodded. "It was going to destroy her, as well as damage the relays, so I asked if there were other choices. It said I could use the Crucible to take control of the Reapers. I'd stop being human, replace the Catalyst as their central intelligence."

Shepard felt a sharp intake of breath as Liara imagined that happening to her lover. "Becoming the slave master of the Reapers, that wasn't a solution. Besides, that was the Illusive Man's plan, the plan of the indoctrinated Protheans Vendetta told us about. Who knew what I'd be after that? I told it 'no,' and it said there was a third option, that I could sacrifice myself and my DNA could be used to merge organics and synthetics. I think that's what it wanted me to do, but I couldn't. This thing thought becoming a Reaper preserved a species and I had no idea what we'd become. I thought about all the twisted experiments we've seen done on people: by Dr. Saleon and Maelon, on Feros, Cerberus, all of them, and I knew I had no right to make that decision for everyone. Maybe someday, we'll have more cybernetics, become different, but we have to make those choices ourselves."

Liara kissed the Specter's neck, reassuring her without words while she continued her story. "The intelligence was wrong. It thought synthetics would always kill organics but it was wrong. The Leviathans survived. The Protheans defeated the Zha'til; the Quarians beat the Geth. I wasn't convinced conflict is inevitable. Legion, you never met him, but I think he had developed real empathy, that he cared about organics. And EDI was built from that crazed VI on Luna and from Reaper tech, but she still became our friend…"

Shepard's eyes teared up as Liara comforted her. "You did the only thing that you could."

"I had a choice. And so did the Reapers. The intelligence, it chose to murder all those species, all those trillions of people. There had to be a price for that. For the Protheans, for Thessia, for Palaven, for Earth. I think I did the right thing, but there was so much at stake, and a part of me worries that I just wanted to come back to you."

Liara kissed her softly. "I know how much you love me, Melanie, but I also know you. You would do what the galaxy needed you to, no matter the price. I know that. I have always know that. Those other choices… I am sorry that EDI died but you could not have done those things."

Shepard smiled tearfully at her lover. "Thank you, Liara. It means the world to hear you say that."

"It is the truth."

They just held each other for a few moments after that, but Liara's scientific curiosity still wanted the end of the story. "What happened after you decided?"

"Not much more to tell. There was a power conduit the intelligence had pointed out. I actually started feeling as a little stronger as I walked there; knowing what needed to be done, that it was almost over, it gave me a second wind. Anyway, I got there and opened fire on it with everything I had left. No need to conserve ammo," she chuckled grimly. "I thought about everyone I'd lost, about you. And then it happened. I could feel the energy building around me, there was a flash of fire, and it went dark. The next thing I remember is waking up before Wrex pulled me out of the wreckage."

She paused for a moment, letting the memories rest, before adding, "I'm done now Liara, I promise. I'm done making you wonder if I'm coming back."

"I appreciate that, but the galaxy will still need you."

"I know, and I'll do what I can to help rebuild, but no more suicide missions."

"That sounds eminently reasonable," Liara smiled before leaning over for a tender kiss, their lips sealing the vow that Shepard had made.