"Oh Goddess, Shepard," Liara sobbed, flinging her arms around Shepard's shoulders. "I missed you so much."

"Me too," Shepard mumbled into her neck.

"It was awful when you were gone. Just awful," Liara babbled. "I thought my heart was going to break from missing you so much. I sold my soul to Cerberus and the Shadow Broker, just for a chance to see you again."

"And it worked," Shepard reassured her. "I'm back."

Liara drew back from their hold slightly. "For the moment," she said, wiping a finger underneath her eye. "But I'm not a fool. You're trying to find a way through the Omega 4 relay, and there is a reason that no one uses it. I know a suicide mission when I see one," she said dully.

Shepard reluctantly broke their hug, drawing backwards so she could see Liara properly. "I know the odds are against us," she admitted. "But impossible situations are my forte. And I know that I can make it through the relay and stop the Collectors, and come out of the other end in one piece." She stared into Liara's eyes, trying to convey the truth of her words.

Liara tilted her head at her, regarding that statement. "You do believe that, don't you," she said after a moment, her voice slightly wondrous. "You truly think that you'll be able to back it from certain death."

"It wouldn't be the first time."

That made Liara choke out a laugh. It felt like the heavy atmosphere had lifted, and the two women laughed together, tears threatening to fall from their eyes.

"I suppose you're right," Liara said when they'd calmed down. "If death can't hold you back, I don't see why a group of indoctrinated aliens think they can stop you."

Shepard looked at Liara. "Well, I think you had as big a part to play in my return to life as anyone else. Cerberus might have had the technology, but it was you that gave me to them in the first place."

"I know we had a lot of run-ins with them in the old days, but there was no one else who could have done it," Liara admitted. She ran her hands up and down Shepard's arms. "If I had another option, I would have taken it."

"It doesn't matter," Shepard said. "I'm not the biggest fan of Cerberus, and I've made the Illusive Man very aware of that fact, but they did build a new Normandy, and they do seem to be the only ones willing to help stop the Collectors. If it means working together for the time being, I can handle that."

"I don't think the Illusive Man accepts resignations."

"Funny you should say that, because I have a bit of a similar policy," Shepard said pointedly.

Liara dropped her hands and turned away, busying herself with the food preparation again. "I can't join you Shepard, you know I can't. I have debts to repay. I want to come back to the Normandy, but at the moment..." she trailed off. "I wish it could be otherwise," she whispered.

"Me too," Shepard said, equally quietly. She moved back to the other side of the island in order to put some space between them. That brief hug had ignited the nerve endings underneath her skin, and she almost twitched with the need to touch Liara again. Her mind told her that three weeks wasn't too long to go without feeling soft, pliant skin relax underneath her fingertips.

But her body disagreed, and her body knew that it had been two long years without knowing what it was like to have Liara's warm body pinned beneath her, to have her writhe and twist and squirm beneath her touch. To have her gasp out her ecstasy into her ear and shiver in completion.

Shepard shuddered at the memory, and Liara looked up, frowning in concern. "Are you cold, Shepard? Would you like me to turn the heating up?"

"Ah, no, I'm fine," Shepard waved her off. "Just trying to get used to the feel of this dress I guess." She wriggled her shoulders. "I feel a bit overexposed."

"Well, it does show more than your N7 armour, but then again it wasn't designed to stop bullets," Liara said. "But that dress looks wonderful on you." She grazed her eyes up and down Shepard's body. "I didn't have you down as the kind of woman who would relish formal wear."

Years of taking part in parades had trained Shepard to stand stock-still under scrutiny, but she was finding it difficult to resist the urge to squirm when Liara looked at her like that.

She cleared her throat. "Well, I'm not, but this was in my cabin along with my dress blues and a pair of what looked like engineers overalls. I guess Cerberus had enough information to be able to put me back together from scratch, but couldn't decide on what I would wear when I wasn't wearing armour."

Liara cocked her head. "Overalls? Really?" she asked. "I wouldn't have thought anyone would expect you to wear those in your downtime."

"I tried them on for a laugh, but I felt like I should be underneath the shuttle with a toolbox and covered in oil stains," Shepard said. "They're not my cup of tea at all."

"Ah, talking of which," Liara said excitedly. "I had some tea leaves imported from Earth if you would like some. I know you are partial to hot drinks." She gestured to a container on the side. "Or there is red wine if you would prefer."

"Wine for me," Shepard said. "I haven't had a chance for a drink since-" she stopped.

"Since when?"

Shepard blew out a breath. "The last drink I remember having was a couple of nights before we lost the Normandy. I'd picked up a bottle of Thessian wine on the Citadel, and invited you up for a glass. One glass turned into two glasses and before we knew it, the whole bottle had gone."

Liara flinched at the mention of the old Normandy, but smiled at the memory. "You had such a sore head in the morning," she recalled fondly. "I tried to shake you awake, but you refused to get up. I had to threaten to get Wrex to pull you out of bed."

"Hey, that stuff was about fifteen percent alcohol," Shepard defended. "The asari must have a better tolerance for alcohol than humans do. I suppose you don't get to a thousand without knowing how to handle your drink."

"Well, this wine is slightly weaker, but no less enjoyable," Liara said. "Would you mind pouring it out whilst I get the steak cooking?"

"Of course." Shepard moved around to the other side of the kitchen, opening up cupboards at random. There were the usual kitchen essentials in there; crockery and pots and oils, but not much in the way of fresh food. And, as Shepard continued to look, most of what was there seemed to be human. There was a box of cereal that she remembered mentioning to Liara as one of her favourites, along with a packet of pasta, a container of rice and even a can of baked beans.

"The glasses are in the end cupboard," Liara called out.

"Right," Shepard said, slamming the door shut and locating the glasses. She poured out the wine and took a sip, humming appreciatively at the taste. "This is great, Liara."

"Is it? I haven't tried it. A grateful client gave it to me as a gift. He was going to sign over half of his company to his business partner, but it turned out the partner had been skimming profits for the past two years. I'm glad you like it though."

"It's very nice." Shepard took another sip and sighed as the flavour hit her taste buds. "But then again I've been living on the poor excuse for coffee that gets brewed in the mess hall, so anything would taste good to me."

"Are the meals still as questionable as they used to be?" Liara asked, flipping the steaks over with a sizzle.

"I picked up some supplies when we were on the Citadel, so the quality of food has gone up, but it still isn't the same as good home cooking," Shepard smiled. "You don't know how good that steak smells to me."

"It is nice to have someone to cook for," Liara admitted. "I usually pick something up on the way home or heat some leftovers, if I find the time to do so."

"You don't have anyone you invite around for dinner on the weekend?" Shepard asked casually, fiddling with the salad bowl to try and make the question sound innocuous.

Liara saw right through it. "If you are asking me whether I have been seeing somebody since I moved to Illium, then the answer is no." She flipped the steaks out onto two plates and brought them over. She perched herself onto the stool next to Shepard and took a sip of her wine. "Please help yourself to salad."

Shepard put a helping on her plate before passing the bowl over. "Maybe you haven't been dating anyone, but you must have had...company. Two years is a long time."

"I know how long two years is," Liara said with a touch of bite. "I was in mourning for the duration."

Shepard felt a pang of guilt at what she put Liara through. "Sorry," she said again, looking down at her plate. "I mean, I would understand if you had, was all I was trying to say. There isn't a lot of food here, but what little there is seems to be human."

Liara paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. "Actually," she said. "That food is mine."

Shepard frowned. "I didn't think you were into human cuisine so much. You never seemed to eat much when we were on the Normandy," she said.

"No, well, like I said, the quality of military rations isn't very good, and is hardly a ringing advertisement for the cuisine of a culture," Liara replied. "But after you were gone, and I found myself with the opportunity to source decent ingredients, I found that most of it was quite palatable." She put down her fork for a moment and patted Shepard lightly on the elbow. "It was a way to feel like you were still with me, and it gave me a minor source of comfort."

Shepard's heart flipped. "That's really sweet," she said, touched that Liara had kept her at the forefront of her mind, even after two years. "I feel bad now because I don't think I've ever tried asari food." She made a mental note to pick up some supplies before they left Illium, before smiling to herself. That might stick in the craw of a few of the Cerberus crew members; not only having to share their quarters with aliens, but having to eat their food as well.

"We will have to go out for dinner on the Citadel sometime," Liara said. "One of my favourite asari restaurants is on the Presidium."

"I'd like that," Shepard said earnestly. "Maybe once all of this is over?"

"Maybe."

Pleased that Liara was willing to consider the idea of them spending time together in the future, Shepard pressed on. "This steak has been perfectly cooked. I'm impressed."

Liara inclined her head at the compliment. "I made sure to check the instructions on the extranet before you came over. I was led to believe by the shopkeeper that humans can be very particular about the way their meat gets cooked."

"As long as it is pink I'm happy," Shepard said, happily taking another bite.

Liara watched her with a small twinkle in her eye. "I have a bit of a similar policy," she said, coyly repeating the Commander's line from earlier.

Shepard coughed as the mouthful she was chewing got stuck in her throat. She waved off Liara's help and took a mouthful of wine to help clear her airway.

"Damn, Liara," she managed to choke out. "Warn me the next time you're going to say something like that. I don't think Miranda would be pleased if she had to tell the Illusive Man that I wasn't going to be able to save the galaxy because I choked to death on my dinner."

Liara handed her a napkin, and Shepard couldn't help but notice that she seemed a little bit pleased with herself.

"I'm sure the Illusive Man has a solution in place for the off-chance you meet with an accident," she said, smirking.

"You're loving this, aren't you?" Shepard asked, as she dabbed at her mouth and relaxed back onto her stool.

"Well, it is the first time I have been on this side of a witticism," Liara said. "I was out of my depth when we first met, and didn't understand the human sense of humour. I am quite pleased that I managed to 'get you', as I believe the expression goes."

Shepard couldn't help but smile fondly at the giddy expression on Liara's face. "Yeah, you did get me," she conceded. "That definitely wasn't something I was expecting you to say." She started eating her food again, making sure to take small, delicate bites this time. "This new, witty version of you is something I will have to get used to, I suppose."

Liara sighed almost imperceptibly. "I suppose it was unfair of me to accuse you of being a different person, when I know that there are days I look at myself in the mirror and wonder who the person staring back is supposed to be. Two and half years ago I was spending my time on obscure dig sites, losing myself in research, and the long-lost history of the Protheans. Now I am one of the most influential information brokers in the galaxy. It is a bit humbling."

Shepard lay her cutlery down neatly on her now-empty plate. "I know what you mean," she said, turning to face Liara. "One moment I was a solider in the Alliance, and before I knew it I was the first human Spectre, tasked with trying to stop a species that most people refuse to believe exist. Things always change," she added with a sigh.

"All things?" Liara asked quietly, also turning on her stool.

Shepard opened her mouth, but closed it again when she didn't know what to say. "No, not all things," she said eventually. "There are some things that stay constant."

Liara lifted herself out of her chair and held out a hand for Shepard. Shepard accepted it unsurely, and allowed Liara to pull her to her feet.

"There is something I want to show you," Liara murmured. She tugged ever so lightly on Shepard's hand. "Come with me."