"Hello, Jack."

The convict looked up as Liara approached, the Shadow Broker bearing a tray stacked with pastries. Biotics consumed a great many calories, and given the lack of solid food she'd been given while Cerberus' prisoner, Liara suspected that Jack could use the snacks even more than she could.

Indeed, the convict was quick to snatch a up Thessian cream roll, shoving it in her mouth after a quick, "Thanks, Blue."

Liara set the tray down on a table in front of Jack's chair before taking a seat opposite her. Through the lounge's picture window, she could the stars rushing by, and she knew it wouldn't be long before their transport reached the mass relay. "We have just gotten word from the Normandy," she told Jack. "Shepard has retaken the ship, and she'll rendezvous with us after we jump."

The convict smiled in-between bites. "Great. Knew she'd kick those stupid Cerberus assholes back off for good."

"Indeed." It was touching in a way to see the faith that the distrustful Jack had come to place in the commander; it reminded Liara of how a young archeologist had come to rely on her too, what felt like a lifetime ago. "I thought that before the jump, we should take a few moments to talk."

"Yeah, okay." Jack finished off her pastry even as Liara picked up a roll of her own. The convict rubbed the spot on her neck where the shock collar had sat. Tali had removed it when they got back to the transport, but the affected skin was still red and sore. "Thanks again for saving my ass. I was starting to think I'd die down in that fucking place." She shook her head. "Hell, when you showed up, I wasn't sure if you were going to save me or shoot me."

Liara laughed a little at that thought before offering Jack a reassuring smile. "I realize we had not parted on the best of terms after Hagalaz, but I would never have done that. Not to Shepard, and not to you and your child."

"My what?!" The second pastry Jack had started in on dropped into her lap, spilling raspberry filling on the grey pair of sweats she'd borrowed, and a look of utter shock covered the convict's face even as an abashed one appeared on Liara's own.

'Oh, Goddess. I thought that Cerberus had told you this. You are pregnant with Shepard's child."

"But how? I was… Fuck!" Wisps of angry energy appeared around her body as she realized the answer to her question. "Those fucking Cerberus bastards screwed with my pills, didn't they?"

She nodded. "That is what the records they sent to Shepard indicated."

Jack buried her head in her hands, her rage collapsing into something deeper and sadder. "Fuck me. Jesus Fucking Christ. Why do they keep doing this shit to me?" She looked shockingly vulnerable in that moment, no longer a powerful biotic but instead just a young woman who's whole life had been defined by the malign intentions of an organization she had never asked to become involved with.

"I do not know," Liara confessed, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder. It should have been strange to be comforting her rival for Shepard's affections, and yet, after what they had just been through together, she felt a connection to the convict, along with a real tenderness. "I know this must be terribly strange."

"No shit. I don't even know what the fuck I'm gonna…." Jack's voice trailed off, and when she resumed speaking, Liara could hear an unease in her voice. "Listen, the last time you saw Shepard, you were pretty pissed off at her. So, why'd you come and save me? Did you two…" Liara must have blushed at the question, because Jack knew the answer before she could decided what to say. "Fuck! You fucked her, didn't you? Was that the deal? That you'd save me and then I'd piss off and leave you two alone?!"

"No. That is not…" Liara hesitate. The truth wasn't exactly going to be easy to hear, especially not when Jack was already dealing with so much else, but hiding it wouldn't help either. That was what she'd told Shepard back on Ilium, and it was time for her to follow her own advice. "What I meant to say was that we slept together, but doing so was not the price of my assistance. I helped because I still care for Shepard, and because neither of you deserved what Cerberus was doing. As for the sex, do not blame her. I was the one who initiated it. It was… a difficult time for both of us, and we needed something to hold onto."

To her surprise and relief, that answer seemed to settle Jack down somewhat. The convict shook her head and laughed. "That's fair, I guess. I mean, that's how all this started. She was having trouble, I gave her a little pick-me-up fuck, and now you went and did the same thing. It's not like we said it was exclusive anyway." Jack ran her hand through hair that had grown somewhat longer since the last time Liara had seen her. "So what the fuck happens now?"

"I do not know," Liara admitted. "I told Shepard at the time that I wasn't ready to make that decision. But now, I think we need to work this out. The Reapers are still coming, Jack, and in order to help save you, Shepard became a fugitive from the Alliance. Things are going to be very difficult soon, and she will need some resolution in her personnel life so she can focus on the larger picture. We all will, I suspect."

"Yeah, no shit," Jack agreed. "Especially now that I'm knocked up. Fuck, Liara, time was, I'd have gotten rid of it without a second thought. But Shepard's kid, I don't know… She's special. I don't want to lose her. Not like you do either, I guess."

Liara took a deep breath. She could hear the fear in Jack's voice, the same one that Liara had wrestled with herself: the fear of someone who wasn't sure of their own desirability that they would lose the one person they cared for most. It seemed highly likely that this would end with one of them in tears. But maybe it's not inevitable, she thought suddenly. Maybe there is another way.

"No, we do not. And you're right. She is a remarkable woman." She paused, summoning her courage before she continued. This was not going to be easy, but it felt strangely right. "Jack, when I was with Shepard, when we joined, I was able to see much of what she was feeling. She loves both of us. The position that she has put us in… She feels dreadful about it. We can certainly force her to chose, if that is what we want. Or, before we see her again, the two of us can devise another solution."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

Liara gave the biotic her best smile. "I think I have an idea."

When the shuttle bay doors opened to admit the small but high quality transport ship onto the Normandy, Shepard held her breath. Even with all of the reunions she'd already experienced in the months since her resurrection, this one was special. Jack, Liara… Seeing Ashley for the first time since Horizon, to say nothing of Garrus and Tali… She wasn't even sure where to begin.

Circumstances made her choice for her. As soon as the door opened, Jack rushed out, throwing herself into the commander's arms and squeezing hard enough to leave her winded. "Fuck, Shepard," she chocked out, tears that the commander was not used to seeing welling up in her eyes, "I thought I'd never see you again."

She gave Jack a gentle kiss, her own voice breaking as the reality that her lover really was alive and free sunk in. "I… I'm just glad you're safe." Behind her, she could see the rest of the crew starting to disembark, and she added, "Thank you. All of you. I'm sorry that you got dragged into this mess and I don't know what I would've done without your help."

Garrus nodded. "Hey, don't worry about it. You've had our backs plenty of times. This was just our turn to have yours."

"Yeah, skipper," Ashley agreed. "I think you've earned a little help."

She managed a smile, brushing aside her own tears. "So, does this mean you trust me again, Ash?"

Ashley laughed. "Yeah, well, I think it's pretty clear you're not with Cerberus anymore, ma'am."

Jack stepped out of her arms, letting Tali give Shepard a hug as well. "Keelah!", the quarian laughed, "Just promise not to throw us off of the ship again and we'll call it even."

She managed a smile. "I'll do my best."

And then it was Liara's turn. The information broker had been the last one to leave the transport, and she walked up to Shepard even while Tali withdrew. "And we are glad you're all right too. It was not easy leaving you in Cerberus' clutches." She planted a kiss on Shepard's cheek, and the commander winced, not because she didn't appreciate the gesture, but because Jack was standing right next to her.

The outburst she expected never came though. Instead, the convict just muttered, "Fucking fascist bastards," and then gave an approving nod when Liara said, "Once we're settled in, perhaps the three of us should speak in your quarters."

This strange accord between the two women left Shepard puzzled, and so she just said, "Okay, sure," and turned to Ashley in an attempt to change the subject. "It's really good to see you again, Ash. Are you on leave from the Alliance?"

"That was the plan, but…" She paused. "If you'll have me back, I'd like to stay here. The Alliance still has their heads up their asses when it comes to the Reapers, and from everything Liara told us about what happened at Bahak, there's no more time for that shit. This is where the action is going to be, and I want to be here too."

Shepard gave her old friend a hug, the mystery of her two lovers' comity momentarily set aside. "You're always welcome on my ship. And you're right; I'll need all the help I can get."

"Come on," Garrus offered, "Why don't Tali and I give you the tour? Cerberus may be a gang of murderous racists, but they do build a pretty nice ship. Besides, I think Shepard's going to be otherwise occupied for a little while."

As Ashley headed off with Garrus and Tali, Shepard wondered if she'd been safer with the aforementioned gang, but it was far too late for such worries now. She followed the two biotics to the lift, biting her lip nervously as they stepped inside. The whole way up, the feeling that something was off only grew stronger. Neither of her companions said anything, which was unusual enough in itself, and she could have sworn there were a series of glances being exchanged between them.

After what felt like an eternity, the doors slid open and Liara gave her cabin a brief, admiring inspection. "Truly, this is a vast improvement over your old quarters on the Normandy."

Jack chuckled. "Heh, yeah. Certainly beats sleeping down by the engine room too."

Shepard was too nervous to laugh along at the remarks. As relieved as she was that the women she loved were safe, she still had no idea what she was going to say or do now that they were alone. Liara, though, seemed more at ease, guiding her over to the couch and motioning for her to sit down while giving Jack a quizzical look that Shepard was now certain did mean something.

"All right," Jack said in response to an unasked question, "Let's do this shit."

"Do what?"

Liara gave Shepard a wry smile, the sort that made you think that she knew a secret you didn't. Which, given that she was the Shadow Broker, she probably did. "It has not been an easy few months," she began, "For any of us."

"I know, and I'm so sorry about that. I never meant to put you in this position. Either of you." She rubbed her forehead. "I really don't know what to do."

"That's because you're a big, dumb girl scout."

She looked over at Jack, unsure of how much Liara had told her about what happened on Ilium. "After everything I did, you still believe that?"

"Sure. I mean, yeah, you and your dick have made a few sketchy choices, but if you were really such an asshole, you wouldn't feel like shit about them."

"Then you know…"

"That you fucked Liara, yeah. But we never said you couldn't, and anyway, you saved my ass. Or at least got Blue to do it for you while you strung Cerberus along."

"And that gave Jack and I a chance to know each other, and me the time to better appreciate our situation," Liara added. "The last time we spoke, I told you that you had been foolish with me, and that was true, but you are not the only one who's made choices without fully understanding them. Jack knew nothing of our history when she decided to sleep with you. I didn't realize what Cerberus had done to your body, and you didn't know how to deal with that, or how I would react when I learned the truth. If we were to do things over, I imagine we would all of us make different choices. But we are where we are."

Shepard sighed. "I would. And now, I just… I don't want to hurt either of you. But I don't know how not to."

Liara's reached out to her, her hand coming to rest on the Spectre's cheek. "Let me finish."

The asari's touch was calming, and Shepard took a deep breath. "Okay. Just…"

"Trust her, Shep." Jack came and sat down next to the commander on the couch, putting a hand on her knee. "This is worth a listen."

"You're afraid we're going to make you chose," Liara told her. "And in the process break one of our hearts, which you are loathe to do. I suppose that would be the normal thing in this situation. But we are not normal people, and these are not normal times. You really do love both of us. I saw that when we joined. And we love you. So perhaps, the three of us can make this work together."

Shepard knew her mouth had fallen open, but as what Liara had just said sunk in, words refused to come out of it. Instead, she could only stare in shock. Jack, on the other hand, clearly knew this had been coming. She patted Shepard's knee, and asked her, "Close it, babe, or something'll fly in there. Are you up for this or not?"

The commander took a breath and tried her best to speak. "I… That's incredibly generous. But it doesn't seem fair to the two of you, to make you… Just because that's what I'd want."

"See," Jack laughed, "What'd I tell you? A big ol' girl scout."

Liara sat herself on Shepard's other side. The Spectre couldn't escape the feeling that she was being penned in by the two other women, but it wasn't at all an unpleasant sensation. "It is true that Jack and I are not close in the way that you are with both of us, but that doesn't mean there is not an appeal for us as well. Recent events have helped us to form our own bond."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "Plus, a hot asari who can kick some serious ass? Doesn't exactly sound like a fucking hardship to me."

Liara blushed slightly at the compliment, a reminder of the shy archeologist Shepard had first met. "Thank you, Jack. And there is something quite compelling about you as well. A… forcefulness, I think. It reminds me in a way of Shepard." She wrapped her hand around the back of the Spectre's head, her touch affectionate. "I am not saying this arrangement will be without its complications, but I also believe it has a great deal to offer to all of us."

Shepard looked back and forth between her two lovers, both of whom were grinning at her shock. "God, I can't believe you two really planned all of this out on the way back here."

Jack's fingers trailed up her leg, and in spite of herself, Shepard couldn't feel a little stirring in her cock at the sensation. "You are kinda dense," the convict pointed out. "We couldn't exactly wait for you to figure this shit out on your own."

The commander smiled, the knot in her stomach unclenching as she accepted her intriguing new situation. "I never stood a chance, did I?"

"Not at all," Liara agreed, running her hand through the commander's long, red hair. "You have gotten yourself into this mess, and now, you will just have to live with the consequences."

And there it is, the big reunion. I imagine some of you will like this outcome, and others will be disappointed, but it's what I've been planning from the beginning, and I hope it was well-executed. Next time, some smut, and more of what Liara and Jack are thinking about this new arrangement. Thanks for reading.