A/N: Ugh. Just re-read the codex entry that talks about how much the Reapers devastated the infrastructure of Thessia so I could make this chapter have lore continuity. Talk about depressing. I'm not going to be focusing on that too much in this fic, since it wouldn't fit the tone. One thing to keep in mind is, the entire asari race are skilled biotics, and I have to believe that would make rebuilding go quite a lot faster than humans. I mean, humans have to build machines to do a lot of our heavy lifting, whereas asari could just do it themselves with a biotic lift. The asari are a very proud, powerful race. They wouldn't just roll over and give up, even after what they went through. There's a reason they were the leaders of the galactic community. I mean, is there drama to be had in seeing a powerful race like that stripped bare and made to rebuild from ashes? Yes, but that's what angsty fan fictions are for. You want to read about the horrible dramatic devastation, look elsewhere. I don't have the heart to do that to the asari because I love them too much. X3 (I'm a class-A nerd! And it's just way too sad to think that an all-female race was almost annihilated. I mean come on. COME ON). That and I think the writers used the destruction of Thessia to emotionally punch us all in the stomach, and I don't like being manipulated like that. So whatever. There I'm done ranting.

Chapter 28

It felt strange, looking out over such a beautiful, peaceful landscape. Much of the countryside of Thessia was left practically untouched by the Reapers, since they focused the vast portion of their invasion on the largest cities and technological infrastructure of the asari. In the three months Shepard was on the Citadel the asari's primary focus was in getting power and water back up, and fortunately a lot of the farms in the countryside had been spared, thanks to the Reapers mainly attacking huge cities. So famine, at least, wasn't the biggest problem facing the asari.

Matriarch Benezia had left her country estate to Liara, and it remained eerily untouched, as if the Reapers knew it belonged to a former ally. Or perhaps they knew she was dead and didn't bother destroying an abandoned house. Or perhaps Shepard was simply over-analyzing things. Either way, she now stood looking at quite a beautiful house, even by asari standards. Blue Thessian Ivy had grown over much of the house, almost giving it a Victorian feel, except that it was made of a shimmering metal alloy known only to Thessia. The assistant mech they brought with them to help them settle into their new home moved ahead of them and got to work restoring power with an Eezo-generator the Alliance had provided.

Shepard and Liara stepped through the front door and the commander put her hand on the small of Liara's back to offer support and comfort.

"Have you ever been here?" she asked softly.

"No," Liara answered, running her hand lightly over the door frame. "I grew up in Armali, a few hundred kilometers from here. She's had this house for centuries, but she never took me here. There was never enough time." She let out a small, regretful laugh. "Funny, coming from a race who lives hundreds of years, isn't it?"

Shepard kissed Liara's cheek. "We have time now, Dr. T'Soni."

The rest of the week was grueling, to say the least. Shepard and Liara spent most of it helping get power to a communications tower near their home that would help local farmers coordinate with neighboring cities more easily, and hopefully help start exporting goods. For as difficult as it was, even with the help of mechs, Shepard found the work very rewarding. Liara was so good at organization that she got things running like a well-oiled machine in no time, and Shepard used her leadership and authoritative skills to keep everyone motivated. It felt especially good to have a mission again, a purpose after being laid up for so long with injuries.

In their few precious hours of alone time, Shepard and Liara worked on moving into their new home, making it their own. Her fish tank had also been successfully transferred, as well as the furniture from her Citadel apartment, Legion, and of course Twitchy, her immortal space hamster. Or so she liked to think of him. If he could survive the six months aboard the Normandy when Shepard was gone, he had to be immortal. Shepard had also decided to make a crib for their twins herself, her first venture into woodworking. Though she had just started, it was already proving to be her most rewarding project, and she felt giddy about working on it at the end of every day when they arrived back home.

By the end of the week, she was exhausted but feeling comfortably optimistic about their new life, despite the destruction of the war. Until, that is, she was awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of Liara crying.

It was subtle and quiet, like all things Liara. But after years of military service, Shepard had learned to become aware when something was wrong, when discord hung in the air. Liara was doing her best to hide it from Shepard. She must have known getting out of bed would wake the human, so she faced away from Shepard with her face buried in her hands, trying to quiet her soft sobs. The sound tore at Shepard's heart and she yet again felt the pang of guilt. Since waking from her coma, everything they did of late seemed to be about Shepard's needs. Between learning to walk again, healing from all her damn injuries, and gaining her mental strength back, there had been little time to address Liara's pain. Shepard never felt more selfish than she did in that moment, and for a brief moment she hated herself for it. Jesus, you're still making it about you, Shepard, she mentally scolded herself.

"Liara," she breathed, shifting on the bed to hold her beautiful bondmate. "Oh my sweet Liara . . ."

"I-I'm sorry I w-woke you. I m-must be having a mood s-swing," Liara stammered, quickly brushing tears from her face. Shepard could feel her pulling away, both mentally and physically and immediately pulled Liara back to her.

"Liara," she whispered, sliding her hand beneath Liara's chin and wiping her tears away with her thumb. "Please don't pull away from me now. Not now when we've been through so much. For all the times you've been there for me, please let me be here for you. Let me be your strength."

Her soft words were all it took to make Liara surrender. Her bondmate rolled over, burying her face in Shepard's chest as her arms made their way around the human's torso. Then cried harder than she'd ever cried in her life.

"Th-thessia . . . m-my home . . . oh goddess Thessia . . ." Liara managed between broken sobs.

"I know," Shepard whispered, pressing soothing kisses to Liara's forehead and crest. "I know. Let it out, Liara. I'm here. I'm here. Always and forever."

Shepard wished, not for the first time, that she could take all of Liara's pain away. She'd never seen so much of Liara's normal composure and strength stripped bare, seen her so very vulnerable and exposed. She'd seen Liara cry, after the defeat of the Shadow Broker and after the fall of Thessia, but not like this. This was everything she'd been holding back during the entire war, and possibly before then. And yet even in her broken sobbing Shepard could tell Liara was still trying to hold back.

"Liara, it's okay," Shepard gently reassured her. "Let it out. I'm not going anywhere. Let it out, it's okay I promise, let it all go."

It was all Liara needed. Not permission, just reassurance. She pulled away from Shepard's arms to sit up and scream out into the night, a sound of pain laid so bare and exposed it broke Shepard's heart a thousand times over. Liara screamed until her voice gave out, and she fell back into Shepard's arms, broken and too weak to continue. Shepard didn't know how long they lay there, gently rocking Liara in her arms all the while.

When Liara's pain would not ease, when she could not be comforted, Shepard became desperate. She would have done anything in the damn universe to make Liara feel better, to take away her pain, if only for a single moment. So she did the only thing she could think to do.

"Meld with me, Liara," she commanded. She put every ounce of her authority behind the command, hoping that it might reach Liara, that it could break through the pain.

To Shepard's surprise and relief, it worked. She felt Liara's mind grope forward for hers. It wasn't the smooth transition like it usually was, it felt as though Liara were stumbling forward, like her very mind was shattering, but it was enough. As soon as Shepard had a mental grip on Liara's mind, she pushed forward with all her might, then sent a single, powerful image into her bondmate's mind.

Shepard and Liara, strolling hand in hand through fields of blue barley gently swaying in a summer breeze. Ahead of them, the sound of giggling fills the air. Their twin daughters are laughing and playing, stopping every once in a while with calls back to their parents of "Look what I can do!" and "What's this Mama?" Surrounding them is Thessia. Still being rebuilt, but even brighter and more beautiful than before. The romance capital of the galaxy. A beacon of light for all to see, for all to know: THE ASARI LIVE.

Liara let out a shuddering exhale, and with it bled away some of the pain. Shepard poured all of her hope into Liara, all of her excitement to meet their daughters, to hold them, to love them, to raise them among such a beautiful people. 'Every day is a day of rebirth, Liara,' Shepard sent over, sending all her love with the words. 'Every day can only get better because from here we only build, recreate, make everything new and better than before. Everything can only get better, because goddess knows we've already experienced the worst.'

Liara laughed weakly, nuzzling her face into the human's neck. 'Yes we have, haven't we?'

Shepard smiled softly. 'And somehow, against all odds, we're alive, in each other's arms. We get to witness the rebirth of something beautiful, we get to be apart of it. Your people are a miracle, Liara. The fact that Thessia still stands at all is a miracle. You are a miracle. My miracle.'

She wrapped Liara in a mental cocoon, passing through all her thoughts, leaving behind feelings of love, adoration, and sheer happiness to be alive and in the arms of the one she loved. Liara nuzzled into her, both in mind and body, pulling them as close together as was physically possible. Shepard could feel her drawing strength from her mind, drowning herself in the power of Shepard's will and ability to block out the ugliness of the galaxy.

At long last, Liara's breathing evened out and her mind slowly faded from the meld. Shepard held her all the while, softly whispering words of comfort and soothing Liara with light kisses and gentle caresses.

"Thank you, Liara," Shepard whispered softly as they began drifting into a light doze.

"Whatever for?" Liara asked, tilting her head up to look at the human.

"Thank you for letting me take care of you, for letting me help make you feel better. I want to take care of you, Liara. More than anything."

Shepard finished her words with a soft, genuine smile and she saw Liara's face light up with a different kind of emotion. "My sweet commander. My sweet, beautiful commander. I love you, Nicole. So much."

"I love you too, Liara."

Shepard pressed their lips together and basked in the chaste, sleepy moment. They drifted off to sleep together, content and feeling stronger knowing they would wake in each other's arms. For they may not have had much, but they had each other. And that had always been enough.