A/N: Thanks to LeroyZanzibar for betaing (again)!

Disclaimer: Mass Effect is copyright of Bioware. Many of the characters contained herein—Shepard included—are property of Bioware. Shepard is partially of my forging, since I am able to choose many of his reactions to events within the parameters of the game. The sequence of events and their outcomes are property of Bioware. The interpretations of and reactions to the events are largely my own. Ci-Ci is mine. Please do not repost this story or any parts of it herein. Always give credit where it is due. I owe the Mass Effect Wiki a great deal for helping me figure out timelines, details, and other such things that I did not pick up during the game.

I welcome constructive and/or encouraging reviews/critiques. Thank you for reading. Enjoy!

6 months earlier: 5 December 2184-Liara's Apartment, Illium, Tasale System, Crescent Nebula

Liara sat up in bed the moment she heard the doorbell ring. She checked the clock. It was still a few hours until dawn... Who would even show up?

Someone beat the door with their fist, but didn't speak. Liara grabbed her pistol from its place by her bedside and slipped towards the door. She checked the outside camera, immediately lowering her weapon.

Corinthia was leaning heavily against the wall, eyes closed. She was bleeding from various wounds and had been severely burned. Liara immediately opened the door and dragged Corinthia inside.

"Ci-Ci?" Liara asked, shaking Corinthia's shoulder. "Ci-Ci! Wake up!"

Corinthia slowly opened her eyes. She looked around and then at Liara. Despite being wounded (rather severely, from the looks of it), her gaze was piercing and steady.

Liara shivered. Something was off, and not just Corinthia being hurt (then again, that was almost normal). She leaned Corinthia against a wall. "I'm taking you to a hospital. You look concussed."

Corinthia closed her eyes, her expression unreadable, and slowly got to her feet. "I am not concussed," she said calmly, her voice low and emotionless.

Liara raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I think you are." She pursed her lips. Though the wounds were bleeding, there was still a lot of dried blood all over Corinthia's clothes. Her entire right side was singed and her skin was black, wrinkled, and cracked. "Here, let me give you some medi-gel-"

Corinthia took her gun out and pointed it at Liara. "No."

"Calm down, Ci-Ci! I'm just trying to help!"

"Cassiopeia Corinthia is dead," Corinthia answered calmly. "I am Ariadne Enig, now," she added, switching into the coldest, cruelest English accent Liara had ever heard.

"What are you talking about?" Liara asked.

"Commander Corinthia's ship was destroyed whist escaping a derelict Reaper by Shadow Broker Agents and the Collectors. Her body was vaporized. It will be best if the galaxy believes her dead, whilst I can work in peace."

Liara frowned. "Ci-Ci, I know you're in there..."

Corinthia-or, rather, Ariadne-put her finger on the trigger. "Do you think this is insanity?"

"Yes, I do. You've finally snapped, taking on everything Shepard did alone..."

"I'm closer to the truth than ever."

"You need help, Ci-Ci!"

"Ariadne."

Liara clenched a fist. "No, I'm not going to lost another friend."

Corinthia blinked, relaxing and looking around dazedly. "I... what..." Her eyes focused on Liara briefly, then to the gun in her hand. She dropped it immediately, horrified that she'd level a weapon at a friend. "I'm so... sorry... Oh... Oh, dear..." With that, she collapsed.

Liara ran to her. "Ci-Ci!"

Corinthia was unconscious, the pain of her injuries finally getting the better of senses. Liara sighed, applying a dose of medi-gel to at least ease the pain. Still, a chill ran up her spine. Corinthia was losing her mind. Liara had read about split personality disorder and how it manifested (extremely traumatic experiences that the mind couldn't handle), but Liara had never heard of the second side being all the darkness within someone's heart (she hadn't read the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). Liara always thought that Corinthia had taken Shepard's loss lightly... or, at least, hadn't shared the actual depth of her grief, nor had she ever asked for help in her several vendettas (against Cerberus, the Collectors, and the Reapers) other than for leads on where to begin. Corinthia wasn't the independent sort-or, hadn't been until then-and the pressure and stress could easily have built up and culminated...

Insane or not, Corinthia needed help. Liara grunted as she struggled to support Corinthia, drag her to a transport, and take her to a hospital. The whole way, Corinthia muttered in her sleep, like she was fending off whispers in the dark. Liara sped up a little. Something was very, very wrong.

The Present: 5 June 2185-Liara's Offices, Illium

Liara tried not to giggle as she watched the security footage from the Hellas Gallery. Liara was very glad to see Shepard alive, and to see that Corinthia was happy to see him as well, but Liara doubted that anything would be so simple. The last six months or so hadn't brought any change to Corinthia. She still had her 'bouts of darkness', as Liara called them, with increasing regularity. Corinthia seemed to have no idea they happened at all, though her smiles had faded and become strained over the last months.

The grin on Corinthia's face in the video was real, though. Finally, something had jolted her back into her old self. Liara could only hope that it would last.

One of Liara's many screens projected onto her large window flashed. Liara's office overlooked one of Illium's larger ports, in turn offering a magnificent view of the city. Like the Citadel, it was tinted purple and orange, always glowing as if it were twilight. In barely two years, Liara had become well-respected and -grounded in the community of information dealing, but her task remain unchanged: find the Shadow Broker and kill him.

She spun in her chair, smoothly standing and examining the message. The Normandy SR-2 was requesting permission to dock. Liara quickly contacted the port authority to deal with the matter, pay the docking fees, and ensure that the Normandy would be nearby.

Her personal computer beeped, playing a random song from Earth's late twenties century ("Thank you, Ci-Ci, for changing all of your personal tones," Liara muttered, wincing as Enter Sandman started playing very, very loudly). She answered. "Hello, Ci-Ci."

"Soooooooooooo... Guess what?" Corinthia asked perkily. She was grinning from ear to ear and her hair was rather messy, like she'd just woken up or someone had been playing with it for a long while.

"I'm not quite sure. You usually choose some kind of significant song, don't you?"

Corinthia giggled, nodding. "Mmhm."

"I saw the security footage," Liara answered. "Has he stopped holding you yet?"

"Didn't want to, but I made him. Anyway, we're-"

"Making port, I know. I've dealt with it."

Corinthia frowned. "You're no fun."

"I was trying to make things easier on you."

"Well, thanks, anyway." Corinthia's smile faded a little. "Don't tell him, alright? I... I want to and I haven't been able to yet."

"Ci-Ci, you need to. He has to know before something happens."

"I know, I know, but I didn't want to ruin it, you know? He's alive, Liara!"

"I've known for some time, actually."

Corinthia's grin vanished completely. "What?" she asked darkly.

"I will explain when you and Shepard come to see me," Liara answered quickly. "I'll see you soon, Ariadne." Liara hung up, taking a steadying breath. Shepard angry was bad enough, but Corinthia's anger meant that she'd drift into bout of darkness and would kill Liara in a heartbeat.

Then there was Shepard... Liara had heard the rumors of his return and his various activities to date. Though most of the events ended for the better, Shepard had been described as a demon from Hell coming to destroy the galaxy. Liara doubted that Shepard would be so heartless as to shoot her for not contacting him upon his return, but Liara had only just received confirmation that he was... But Liara had known of Corinthia's survival as well.

"This is going to be messy," she muttered. She opened her comm. "Nyxeris, I'm expecting Commander Shepard and Ariadne to arrive shortly. Please show them in when they come."

"Of course, Liara," Nyxeris answered.

Liara went back to her work, bracing herself for anything but a pleasant encounter.

Shepard put on his helmet and turned on some music to drown out the chatter. He wasn't particularly into symphonic death metal, but it was loud, dissonant, and made sure that he couldn't hear Corinthia and Mordin chatter away at light speed about... Shepard had no idea. They were speaking in salarian and, though his translator functioned just perfectly, it was still like listening to another language. He managed to catch a few words and phrases (genetics, mutation, offspring, variation, babies, krogan babies, adorable, reproduction, etc) and could only assume that Mordin was offering advice as to Shepard and Corinthia's sex life (or lack thereof).

He glanced back at Corinthia. Despite his best efforts to persuade her to wear something more protective, she was still in a casual outfit. Not that he minded the tighter pants or fitted shirt, but he'd rather have her safe and under layers of protection than looking sexy and being more vulnerable (on a mission, that was; any other time she was welcome to look as alluring as possible).

The moment the doors of the Normandy opened, Corinthia stopped talking. She stepped in front of him, murmuring, "Don't forget to call me Ariadne."

Shepard turned off the music when she touched his arm. "What?"

"I said don't forget to call me Ariadne."

Shepard nodded. He didn't like that she still had to hide her existence, but he understood her reasons. He had enough enemies as it was and didn't need hers swooping in as well. He, on the other hand, could be Shepard all day. The cover of Solomon Gunn had been created by Kasumi for her use (a mission he'd be dealing with shortly) and was going to stay that way. Shepard hated hiding, which was why he'd gone and gotten himself his Spectre status back in the first place... well, that and total immunity.

Ariadne smiled at the port official, an asari in a business-like dress. "I was told the docking fees were already dealt with.."

"They have," the asari answered. "Welcome to Illium, Commander Shepard and Ms. Enig."

Shepard turned the music back on, though at a more reasonable volume since Corinthia and Mordin weren't talking his ear off. But, instead of metal, he was met with some nauseating song from the 1980s. He tugged off his helmet and glared at Ariadne, who was smirking. She shrugged. "Just an idea of my thoughts at the moment."

"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down..." wafted metallically out of the inner speakers.

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "Play that song again, and I swear..."

"You'll what? Ravage me in revenge?"

"Don't give me ideas, Ariadne."

She winked and waved her omni-tool. The music shifted back to its former sort. "I'm just in a good mood, that's all."

"Obviously, but this isn't the time for pranks."

She bit her lip. "Then I suggest you don't turn on your alarm clock."

"Why?"

"I set it to play a rather familiar song..."

He groaned. "You didn't..."

"I couldn't program EDI to do the Hammer Dance, but I might be able to make Joker's chair move in time with it."

"Two years and you haven't sobered at all."

Her expression darkened. "More than you realize."

He looked at her curiously, but it wasn't the time to talk about were going to check in with Liara-which was going to be interesting, to say the least-and glean what information they could about the next two potential allies, an assassin named Thane Krios and a Justicar named Samara.

Ariadne stopped, surveying the horizon. She sighed. "If only everything were like that..."

Shepard joined her, leaning on a railing. "Let me guess: dark, seedy underbelly?"

"Quite, far worse than Omega."

"Well, you have Xerxes to take care of it."

She glanced to where the M-920 Cain hung on his back. "Yes, you do, but that isn't really what I was talking about."

He moved closer to her, interlacing his fingers with hers. "I know. I want this to be over, too."

"And here everyone thought you were a warmonger."

"Part of the job, unfortunately," he muttered. "Never really had a reason to want it to end before and you know it."

"Still, it's hard to imagine life without conflict. I mean, it's been everything to us... Sort of shaped us and threw us together." She laughed. "It's so silly to think what might've happened if I hadn't..." She trailed off.

"Hadn't what?" he pressed.

"When I walked into that Alliance recruiting station, I thought they'd turn me away because I was so young. I had options, you know, lots of them. I just thought that the Navy was... that it was going to be fun, like something out of an adventure story."

Shepard blinked. She'd been that naive?

She leaned against him. "But, honestly, I know it's going to sound absolutely silly, but you kept me there. I may not have been your friend by the end of Elysium, but you were mine and it meant everything to me... Still does, even though I've got more friends."

His stomach twinged with guilt. "I didn't even start to care until after Akuze..."

"You still remembered me on Elysium."

"You don't usually forget a meeting with a genius."

"I'm not a genius... I'm just smart. Besides, I can't think like that anymore. All that math in my head? Pfft. Gone. I don't remember much of what I learned in school, either. That was ten years ago." She blanched. "Has it really been that long? Well, okay, nine and a half years, but it's still a long time."

"Don't put it like that. Makes me feel like an old man."

"I'm twenty-five, Shepard. You're, what? Thirty?"

"Twenty-eight-Well, I guess it's thirty, isn't it?"

"You aren't old. You're just getting into your prime."

"Yeah... and right on time, too, it would seem, when the galaxy's falling down around our ears."

"Not if you can help it."

"Rick Roll me again and I'll stop."

"No, you won't. And how do you even know what Rick Rolling is?"

"You've done it to me before. Nine times, at least. You'd think that joke would die after a hundred years."

"Stupid teenagers don't let it."

"And you, apparently."

"You know I've got that streak in me."

He kissed her languidly, stroking her chin and smiling as she sighed and practically melted. "And an artistic, sexy one, too."

She winked. "Didn't have to have it when I was a soldier."

"Lose it and I'll order it back."

"Yes, sir. Artsy and sexy it stays." She saluted and stepped away. "I think we've probably bored Mordin to death."

The salarian was far from it. He was examining one of the booths with his omni-tool open and arguing with the sales asari about the inconsistancies in their policies (used to cheat the customers).

Ariadne put her hands on Mordin's shoulders and guided him away. "Sorry about him. We're taking him to get his implants checked."

Mordin blinked. "No neural implants. No need. Glitchy. Could fix with simply bypass. No, would cause short circuiting."

Shepard rubbed his eyes. Why did he always get stuck with the crazies?

"Liara's office is just up ahead," Ariadne said. "She knows we're coming."

Shepard held up his hands. "Hold on. What?"

"She paid for the docking fees."

"When did that happen?"

"When we docked."

He gritted his teeth. "You're impossible."

"Better than being easy."

"Doesn't mean I don't wish," he breathed.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Let's see Liara."