A/N Inspired by Evanescence "Bring me to Life", Salser's amazing story "Forever as One" and my own loss… Title inspired by Garbage's verse from "My Lover's Box."

Thanks to everyone who added, reviewed and fav'd. You make this worth continuing. More reviews = more chapters.

Tayg and T.A. Blackwell, well can't say enough good things about you girls.

I changed my mind again and kind of dislike Traynor. In game she will gladly cheat on Liara after having polite conversation, plus I just can't pass up a good story/soap opportunity.

Bioware owns all, I just make them cry.

Piece by Piece

"I don't fucking believe you." Shepard pulls the blanket over herself and eventually falls back asleep.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

After being shown where the cafeteria and showers were she decided to eat. The food looked disgusting compared to what her bond-mate would make her.

"Shepard, Goddess it's 5:00. Why are you up so early?" She says while trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes.

Shepard only grins at her, eyes full of adoration. "Come on, get up, I made you breakfast. Shift change is only in 2 hours, so hurry up before someone gets up early and eats our breakfast." She extends a hand, which Liara takes then is pulled off the bed. "Shower after, get dressed, let's go."

Shepard tosses her the robe that had been absently discarded the previous night. "You don't… You can't expect me to go out in this?"

Shepard flashes her infamous lopsided grin and childishly snickers. "It's not like they don't know what we do up here, now come on."

As she pours the "mush on to her plate she can't help think about an old human idiom she learned from Shepard. Don't know what you've got 'till it's gone.

"T'Soni, stop looking so nervous. No one will be up for another hour at least, promise." Shepard playfully teased.

What ever this was, it smelled fantastic. Liara visibly relaxed, sat down at the table and flashed her bond-mate an appreciative smile. "Smells wonderful."

Shepard took her cue and headed back to the counter to serve them both. She had bought supplies on her last trip to the Citadel as she planned on making meal time a regular occurrence. She loaded up 2 plates and headed back to their table.

"Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, baked beans with Thessian fruit and toast. Lots of protein for my biotic beauty. Now eat up so we can take that shower."

As she dug her fork into the eggs she lifted an eye brow and very seductively said: " We, and shower… sounds like you intend on joining me, Commander."

Shepard looks up from her plate and winks back at her broker before answering. "Well, see I just got up, got dressed and made us breakfast. I haven't showered yet but thought we could conserve water by showering together, Doctor. For the crew's benefit."

"Indeed you have come to a wise conclusion, Commander. Water conservation in the midst of a war is a sound, scientific decision." She purred.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Traynor stood outside Shepard's room, nervously ringing her hands. Play the innocent scientist… Go in there and win her… But she's sleeping… You have 15 minutes left before that wretched Asari comes back… She needs her sleep… You'll miss your chance. With that she decides to enter the room and take a seat by Shepard's bed. 14 minutes.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

She stared blankly down at the slop in front of her. Everything reminds me of Shepard. She lifted the fork to her mouth and immediately spit it out. Stop being such a damned snob. She brought another fork full of food to her nose and decided this was Varren meat, or worse... Dead Vorcha. She then unceremoniously dropped the fork and left the dining area.

She headed to the showers, opened the door and much to her displeasure saw it was a public shower. Asari were generally open about their sexuality and flaunted their bodies, except she wasn't a typical Asari. Liara recalled a small lavatory in Shepard's room so headed back there.

As Liara swings the door to Shepard's room open she sees an unexpected visitor. Traynor. She stalks the room, never taking an eye off the specialist. She is going to give me a stammered response… I'm a very good information broker, and I can tell when someone will lie to me even as they are thinking about it.

Bloody hell… Oh Jesus.

"Come with me. Now. Let's not wake the Commander." She extends a hand to help her up.

Oh God if that isn't a cobra about to strike. "I don't ne-ed assistance Doctor…uh Doctor T'Soni, thank you," as she gets up from her chair.

Suddenly Traynor is enveloped by a stasis field and floated out the room. Once the doors are breached she is unceremoniously dropped on the floor.

"I don't even want to know what you were doing in my bond-mate's room." She dropped down on a knee to face her rival. "Shepard made her choice 3 years ago. You have no idea what we have done for each other since then."

"I know that you ignored her to 'broker' your data feeds." She defiantly said.

Liara couldn't believe the audacity of this little shit.

She picks Traynor up by the neck and heads for the airlock.

"Do it baby, we'll be rid of that pest once and for all. As she dies she maybe then she'll realize who I truly love, and will always love." Shepard flatly says.

Liara places her in a stasis field and punches the lock down code. "I love you more than life, Shepard."

They step through the doors hand in hand and watch as the "contents" of the airlock are bolted out.

Satisfied by their taking out of the trash, they kiss and head back to their Loft.

Liara's fantasy ends all too soon...

"Get out of here, now, before I feed you to Wrex. My Bond-mate's status could let me get away with it too. As you humans would say, fuck off." As Traynor scurried away Liara could swear she heard something about this not being over, and the Alliance brass… gibberish.

Now that she was taken care of, Liara deemed it safe to take a shower. Afterwards, it was time to work on Shepard's memory, and if the Goddess allowed it, eventually all those little blue children.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

15 minutes later Liara stepped out of the shower feeling completely refreshed. She was dressed in a simple white hospital gown but could care less. She took a seat by Shepard's bed and laid a hand on her chest. She felt her bond-mate stir.

"Li…a…"

Shepard was calling out for her and she was completely unsure how to react. She knew she had to let 'nature' play its course, but she was so sick of it, so sick of everything keeping them apart. She wanted to take her away to somewhere safe, and remote, like their lost ship.

"Yes, I'm here." She fought the urge to throw herself on top of her broken bond-mate.

Shepard stretched, and opened her eyes then turned her gaze to Liara. "I can't remember fuck all, Sam was in here telling me, well, what I think is total shit. I don't know why, but I trust you."

Liara saw this as a cue to initiate further touch. She took Shepard's hand in the hand not caressing her torso. "We shared a life amongst chaos, and a promise. You mean everything to me, you always will." Liara knew a meld could help her bond-mate's recovery. She hoped Shepard instinctively loved and trusted her enough to trust her with something so intimate.

"Show me."

A/N: Reviews people, are what keep this story going. My story notes were long enough to split this into 2 chapters and still not done. So there you go.