A somewhat dumfounded Shepard and T'Soni left the hospital, suddenly and unexpectedly minus their Krogan teammate. Shepard had hoped Wrex would think about returning to Tuchanka, but for him to so abruptly announce it and turn and leave without hardly a goodbye caught them both by surprise. Still in shock from Wrex's hasty departure, they made their way back to the ship and packed their bags for the trip, then headed to the temporary quarters the Council had provided for the entire crew. They would have preferred to stay onboard the Normandy for the single night they had before their departure, but they weren't allowed to stay on the ship while repair work was being completed.

One of the first things Shepard and Liara did when they got to their temporary quarters on the Citadel was a light meld, simply to share all the pent up emotions and experiences from the last few hectic days. They had seriously missed the intimacy and comfort even a basic meld gave them. They had definitely learned that stress and burdens shared weren't nearly so heavy, and their decisions and actions were much better thought out and clearer when they used each other as sounding boards. Liara told Shepard about her nearly laughing when she thought about Karin's reaction to her dislocated shoulder. The commander first acted affronted, but then suddenly got a sly grin on her face. Liara looked at her and just had to ask what she was thinking. Shepard was really grinning now, and said, "I told you, you'd get used to it."

Liara looked puzzled and asked, "Get use to what?"

Shepard laughed, and said, "Remember at Peak 15, when I told you you'd get use to me getting hurt. You didn't believe me then, you swore it would never happen. Never say never, T'Soni! I have to say if you're laughing about Doc Chakwas' reaction to me getting my shoulder dislocated, that qualifies as being use to it!" They teasingly bantered back and forth for a while over the topic, but in the end the only thing Shepard was convinced of was that Dr T'Soni didn't like to be proven wrong. Shepard decided to make it up to her beautiful Blue by seducing her and making love to her until the wee morning hours; Liara blissfully accepted Samantha's sincere act of contrition.

The Normandy was once again grounded, but this time for a few minor retrofits and repairs, and a new paint job. The couple of hits she'd taken during the Battle of the Citadel ensured the Normandy would be in dry-dock for a few weeks to complete the repairs and the Alliance decided to give the entire crew two weeks of paid shore leave during the retrofits. Though Ambassador Udina was still burning from what he saw as the theft of the Normandy, Alliance HQ and the Council rolled with the popular support of the commander and decided that Udina, not being in the military chain of command, acted outside his scope of authority on the lock-down to begin with, so made him retract the accusation or face charges of his own for abuse of authority. He wisely chose to drop the issue, but continued to nurse a personal grudge against Shepard.

After only a single night of freedom, the Council requested an audience with the commander. Once again, Shepard found herself before the Council with Anderson and Udina at her side. The only thing that kept her from going crazy was knowing they had no Normandy to fly and no rogue Spectre to hunt. A real vacation to spend together. It was going to be perfect. Councilor Tevos opened the proceedings by recognizing those present, and then made her opening statement. "We have gathered here to recognize the enormous contributions of the Alliance forces in the war against Sovereign and the Geth."

In the practice that Shepard always found amusing... Why can't just one of the councilors make the entire statement?...the Salarian councilor then continued the announcement, "Many Humans lost their lives in the battle to save the Citadel, brave and courageous soldiers who willingly gave their lives so that we-the Council-might live." and let the stage sharing continue...

Sparatus took over, following with "There is no greater sacrifice, and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women." ... and back to Tevos!... Shepard was really starting to feel rather irreverent by this point, with all the thoughts running rampant through her head while the Councilors continued speaking. My God, will this never end?

The commander found it hard to concentrate as the Council droned on, wondering exactly why they demanded her presence for this. Suddenly, she realized Udina was now speaking, and he was accepting something, but the commander had no idea what had just been offered. The commander decided she should probably pay attention again, and was rewarded with a relatively quick solution to her dilemma. They wanted her recommendation for who should be the first Human councilor. Fervently hoping they hadn't provided a list from which she was supposed to chose, she stated loud and clear, "We need someone with the courage to stand up for what he believes in. Someone like Captain Anderson."

Udina was beside himself, though the commander couldn't believe he honestly expected her to select him, not after he double-crossed her and tried to strip her of command of the Normandy. Tevos was true to her promise of support and quickly backed the commander's selection, calling it an inspired choice and stating the Council would welcome Councilor Anderson with open arms should he accept the posting. Captain Anderson graciously agreed to take the job, and after brief closing remarks, Shepard made her final comments. "Sovereign was only a vanguard. The Reaper fleet is still coming. Hundreds of ships, maybe thousands, and once the Normandy is ready to fly again, I'm going to find some way to stop them. Now if you'll excuse me, Councilors, Ambassador, I'm going to start my two weeks of shore leave."

Shepard burst into their temporary quarters on the Citadel, and started shedding her uniform the minute the door closed behind her. "Liara? You here? What time does our shuttle leave? How much time..." She probably would have kept on rattling questions off if Liara hadn't walked out of the bathroom and silenced her with a kiss.

Samantha smiled, exceedingly happy with the distraction, and went to deepen the kiss when Liara pulled back, responding with a mischievous smile of her own, "Oh no you don't. You asked. I answer. Yes, I am obviously here. We have two hours to get to the shuttle, and I'm packed, but you're not, so I'll help you. Anything else, my dear Commander?"

Shepard shook her head no and laughed, wrapping Liara in a tight embrace, like there would be no tomorrow. "You know how much I love you, T'Soni?"

The commander gave Liara such a dreamy look it made the Asari's stomach flip. "Tell me," she said.

Shepard wiggled her eyebrows up and down and said with a smirk, "I'd rather show you, but we'd miss our shuttle, and boy, would my mom be pissed." She let Liara go and went to the bedroom to pack, the Asari in trail.

When she was done packing, Shepard looked at Liara's single medium-sized bag, and then at her two large ones. "Ah, the downside to being a Spectre. Look at all that crap I have to carry with me all the time!"

A frown flitted across Liara's face before she voiced her question. "Are you traveling armed, Samantha?"

Shepard looked at the concerned expression on her lover's face, trying to figure out why she was asking such a question. "You mean, as in a loaded weapon on my person, or my battle gear in a bag? Not that it matters, because the answer to both of those questions is yes. What's the real question here, Blue? Do you not want me carrying?"

Liara sat down in a huff. "It's just that...I was told...Wait. Let me start at the beginning." Liara sighed and started over. "I got a message from the estate executor on Thessia. Apparently, the estate is worth much more than even I realized, and there are people who will try to take it from me. Secondary inheritors who stand to get very rich should something 'happen' to me, say in a shuttle accident or at some remote dig site. They recommended I always travel with a security detail of at least two commandos, preferably more. I told them I didn't need it this trip, because I was traveling with a Council Spectre on a military transport... and I just wanted to make sure I actually told them the truth." Liara looked up at Shepard with a look of contrition, like she had been caught doing something wrong.

"Wow." Shepard gingerly sank down next to Liara on the edge of the bed. "I guess I didn't even think about stuff like that. About you being at risk because of your money. I always at least have my service pistol, but I can't be with you all the time. Maybe having at least one commando isn't such a bad idea, for when we're not flying on military transport. Can you get one to meet us on the Kilimanjaro in four days, before we leave for Thessia? At least until we come up with a plan?" As she finished, Shepard did not look at Liara. Instead, she stared down at her hands in her lap, trying to not think about how easy it would be for the love of her life to slip through her fingers in a single moment of inattention. There are people who want Liara dead. Shepard had never felt so vulnerable...or, for that matter, so angry. "Damn it!" The commander stood up with a huff, the protective commander once more.

Liara stood with her and grabbed her arm, suddenly very uneasy, unable to keep pace with Shepard's shifting emotions. "Samantha. What are you thinking? Talk to me, please?"

Shepard spun to face the Asari and her eyes locked on to Liara's like a laser site. The intensity behind the piercing green eyes almost made Liara wince, like they were cutting into her very soul. Shepard saw the shielded expression settle on her lover's face and closed her eyes for a moment, centering herself and calming her emotions. When she reopened them, Liara was comforted by a softer gaze and relaxed a little bit. Shepard leaned forward until their foreheads touched. "Blue, it would be easier to show you. Meld?" Liara did not hesitate, and soon was nearly overcome by feelings of vulnerability, anger and then overwhelming protectiveness. A strong voice made itself known through the meld. Demanding. Immovable. {I will do everything in my power to keep you safe from harm. Always.} The statement was followed by such a sense of warmth and love that Liara gasped at the intensity of it. She returned the feelings and then slowly withdrew from their bond.

"Thank you, Samantha. I feared you were angry with me, for not telling you sooner or something. I feel much better about it all now." Liara cast an endearing smile at the passionate human standing before her. "Come, let us go catch our shuttle. We can talk about it during the transit."

Over the course of the journey, the couple hammered out a plan. Based on their information, the threat was very real, so they took it seriously. For the short term, they would pull two commandos from the townhome in Armali. One would stay with them on the Normandy, and the other would be responsible for procuring and providing a private FTL-capable transport whenever required. For any side trips, both the pilot and the escort would stay with Liara at all times. If the Normandy was somewhere the private transport couldn't get too for some reason, Liara would have to stay on board ship unless both the Spectre and the commando were free to travel with her, utilizing the Normandy's shuttle.

For the longer term, Liara would establish the equivalent of a will, to make sure all the assets of the estate were accounted for and designated to transfer to specific recipients. They also planned to have it witnessed by a quorum of Matriarchs, making it public knowledge and virtually uncontestable. The existence of a planned disposition of assets would remove any monetary motive to 'eliminate' Liara. The only detail remaining was the actual recipient list. They had plenty of ideas, Liara just needed to make the final selections and assign the percentages. With that out of the way, a much happier couple was ready to disembark when they reached the SSV Kilimanjaro.

After a quick nap, Commander Shepard got dressed in her standard duty uniform. Liara looked at her and immediately questioned if she was ok in her civilian attire, or if she should put on one of her science suits. Shepard laughed gently, and explained to Liara that it was just a thing between her and her mom. She was on shore leave, and there was no requirement to be in uniform, so she did it solely because her mom liked it. She'd probably be changing right back into civilian clothes as soon as they got settled into their room.

They watched out the window as the transport approached their destination. Liara had done her homework and knew the Kilimanjaro was an Alliance capital ship, a dreadnought, the equivalent of the Destiny Ascension, but she was still amazed at the size. The Ascension was huge and had a compliment of just over ten thousand people; the Kilimanjaro had just over nine thousand, but it was less than a third the size. It seemed...small, by comparison, but certainly packed a lot of firepower. It would be interesting to get a tour and see what the differences were, how the Alliance packed so much into such a relatively small package.

The shuttle finally settled into its docking bay and they got to disembark. Liara stayed back a bit as the commander searched the crowd and found her mother. Liara realized Shepard had been correct in her assessment that they looked alike. Her mother was a bit shorter, her auburn hair was starting to show some gray, and she definitely had lines in her face that came with age, though she didn't have the scars Samantha did. Most noticeable was the eyes, the same piercing green. No doubt Samantha was her mother's daughter. Commander Shepard stepped up to Captain Shepard and saluted smartly. They dropped their salutes, and the Captain looked over the officer standing before her, as if inspecting her. "You've lost weight, Commander."

"You've got a pooch."

"You've gotten disrespectful."

"You've become a hard ass, Captain."

Liara was flabbergasted by what she heard, wondering why these two women even bothered to get together if all they were going to do is throw insults back and forth at one another. She would never have dreamed of speaking to her mother in such a manner!

"You're downright insubordinate!"

"Only to my pipsqueak mother!"

At this point, both women busted out laughing and grabbed each other in a tight hug. Her mother clasped her daughter by the shoulders and held her out at arm's length. "Oh, Sam! You look wonderful! I was so worried when I got your note, you were so vague. But, I received it just after we got the warning notice about the Citadel, and it was easy enough to put two and two together." Tears started to form in the Captain's eyes as she continued. "I tried to hold out, but all I could think was that if the Geth were at the Citadel, you had failed and you were lost to me!" Hannah pulled Sam in again and hugged her for all she was worth. Sam apologized for worrying her, but felt she just had to send something. Just in case. They were fortunate it all worked out in the end. Hannah released the crushing hug and stepped back, wiping away her tears. "Now, where is this Liara you've been going on about lately?"

Samantha grabbed her mother's hand and led her back towards the transport, where Liara was waiting with the bags. "Mom, this is Dr Liara T'Soni. Liara, this is my mom, Captain Hannah Shepard."

Liara nodded politely, and held her hand out in the human fashion while she said, "It is my distinct pleasure to meet you, Captain."

For a second, it was like Hannah was frozen, just long enough for the hesitation to be noticeable. She recovered, with a slight blush, and took Liara's hand in an enthusiastic greeting, finally finding her voice. "I'm sorry. Please, just call me Hannah. I don't know what I was expecting, but Sam failed to mention you were Asari. I was just surprised. I didn't mean to be rude. I'm very happy to meet you." Samantha's face was etched with worry at the greeting, but as far as Liara was concerned, the Shepard smile that accompanied the handshake proved her sincerity.

They picked up their bags, and Hannah escorted them to their room. Once they got settled, Hannah took the center position, put an arm through each, and three-abreast, proudly took them on a tour of the Kilimanjaro. The differences between the ships was immediately evident to Liara; the Alliance ship was very utilitarian, while the Destiny Ascension was actually a home. The Ascension had everything a small city would have...libraries, gymnasiums, gardens and parks, and real restaurants, not just mess halls; the Kilimanjaro had none of that. Liara questioned how anyone could be comfortable in such a space for any prolonged period of time, and secretly hoped Shepard never got stationed on such a vessel.

They followed the tour with dinner in the Officer's Mess. Once they were seated, Hannah demanded they tell the entire story of how they met, and much to Liara's embarrassment, Shepard was more than happy to comply. The whole story about the mine and the Geth was a great tale, but when the part about the Prothean security bubble came out, Samantha's animated rendition had Hannah laughing until tears rolled down her cheeks. They didn't last long though, ending quickly with the sobering reality of fighting the Krogan Battlemaster and almost burning to death in a lava pit. Shepard paused in her telling, an expression of pure love coming over her face as she continued. "Mom, it was crazy. Here was this Asari, whom I'd never seen before in my life, and the minute I laid eyes on her I was just filled with this amazing feeling of...I don't know...contentment? And nothing in the world mattered but her safety and happiness. I'd read some of her research papers, so I knew she was incredibly intelligent, she was obviously a hell of a biotic, and as I watched Karin take care of her, I felt incredibly lucky because I just had the most beautiful person in the galaxy somehow fall into my lap. I didn't understand what I'd done to deserve it...I didn't feel worthy." Samantha glanced at Liara and lovingly took one of her hands, then focused her attention on her mom's face. "Is that too weird? Did I like, just totally freak you out?"

Hannah reached and took her daughter's open hand, then, looking at Liara, reached over and they completed a circle. "Absolutely not, my dear. Apparently, love at first sight isn't just for fairytales, and more importantly, I owe this young Asari for saving your life. My guess is the reckless way you live, she's probably done that more than once!" At that statement, Liara blushed, Shepard laughed, and Hannah happily beamed an open loving smile at both of them.

After dinner, they retired to the Captain's quarters, where Hannah entertained Liara, at Shepard's expense, with pictures and tales of the great Commander Shepard's adventuresome childhood. Shepard was embarrassed many times over, but thrilled at how well the two most important people in her life were getting along. As she sat back and watched her mom's face as she relived all the early years and Liara's rapt attention to the highly embellished stories of Sam's daring do, she thought simply, life is good. She was so comfortable, she didn't even realize she had fallen asleep until Liara was sitting next to her, gently caressing her cheek and smiling at her with an expression of unbridled affection. As Sam's eyes slowly opened, Liara said quietly, "Come on, love. It's past time for us to go to our cabin." Shepard sat up and sheepishly apologized to her companions for falling asleep on them.

Hannah laughed and responded, "If I had a guest room you wouldn't even have known. We'd have just carried you to bed like I used to when you were younger. Oh, how I've missed you, Samantha. I'm so glad you came, and brought the charming Dr T'Soni with you! Now, off you go, and I'll see you tomorrow. Breakfast is at eight if you are so inclined. Otherwise, just message me when you're up and we'll figure out where to meet."

The next three days passed in similar fashion, mother and daughter getting all caught up on each other's lives, and Liara being brought into the fold like she had been a member of the family forever. Liara was incredibly happy with the way the visit worked out, learning more about the Shepard clan than she ever thought possible in such a short visit. She found it very easy to understand Hannah, as Samantha was so much like her mom it was easy to draw very accurate correlations between the two. By the time their newly acquired private transport arrived, Hannah and Liara were fast friends, and there was an obvious budding promise that it would eventually turn into a much closer relationship. Along with the tearful goodbyes came promises to write and visit more often and just in general to communicate better overall. From the observation lounge, Hannah watched the transport fade into the distance until it was just a speck hitting the mass relay. She finally turned away with tears of sadness in her eyes, but joyous memories in her heart. It had been a wonderful visit.

On board the new transport, first order of business was for Liara to introduce Shepard to the two commandos. The pilot was Judea Voni, and the huntress, Riana Iregos. They both had exceptional training and had worked together at the Armali Townhome for nearly fifty years. They had relatively standard issue weapons and shield generators, so the first thing Shepard planned on doing upon their arrival in Thessia was to upgrade the armory for the entire commando unit.

Liara gave them a complete intelligence brief on the situation, and made it perfectly clear they were to follow Commander Shepard's orders as if they were her own. Keeping in mind the comments from Tenir that Shepard had shared after the meld in Tevos' office, Liara also made it very clear that the commander was hers, and she was not inclined to share at this point in her life. When she made those remarks, her hand moved possessively to Shepard's thigh and Shepard smiled and wrapped an arm around Liara's waist in response. Giving Liara a sidelong glance, Shepard stated, "Love, you know you don't have to worry about that in the slightest."

Liara's eyes twinkled and she flashed a conspiratorial smile to the whole group as she answered, "I know...and now they do too."

Shepard was pretty impressed with the transport. It was a top-of-the-line Jorius II Corvette. It had an optimum crew of three, but could be flown by a single pilot with VI assistance, and could carry up to ten passengers. Designed for private ownership, the ship provided comfortable long-range FTL travel to distant systems and was designed for speed and maneuverability. With the model II upgraded shielding, armor, and engines, it would be sufficient enough to fend off fighters and adequately outrun frigates. It had ten retractable, non-military grade mass accelerator cannons, and GARDIAN point defense lasers. It also carried a drop-shuttle and a Jiris Infantry Fighting Vehicle for hot zones. They had just acquired it, so it still needed to be customized, but all in good time. Overall, it was an excellent selection by Captain Tanni.

The time passed quickly and Liara got caught up on all the news from Thessia while Shepard got acquainted with the layout and security procedures at the Armali location. The commander was like a sponge, absorbing every detail she could get and planning the conversation she would have with the captain of the guard once they arrived. Based on her transport selection and everything the two commandos said, Shepard very much looked forward to meeting Captain Livos Tanni.

Before they knew it, they were approaching the Asari home world, and the commander got her first view of Thessia through the view screen on the bridge. Liara was pressed tight to her side, and Shepard could tell she was tense, so grabbed her hand and gave a look that translated into "meld with me." Liara shook her head 'no,' and Shepard glared at her, saying out loud, "Yes." Liara finally obliged and Sam was assaulted by a swirl of emotions, indicating just how unsettled Liara's thoughts were. Shepard pushed a wave of steady, loving support across the meld and waited for Liara to settle her emotions enough to tell her what was wrong.

{You're ok, Blue. Breathe. I'm here for you. Talk to me...}

Liara was unable to find the right words, but finally managed to at least get a start. {I haven't been home in almost fifty years, Shepard. Not since...when I...not since my mother and I had our falling out. I... I always assumed my homecoming would involve a reconciliation...seeing Thessia again, knowing she is not here... It is...difficult.} Silent tears found their way out of the corners of Liara's eyes, and Shepard turned to pull her in close, cheek to cheek.

There was no attempt to stop the tears; Shepard just let her cry to release the bottled emotions. {You know I'm here for you. You are not alone. We'll face this together, and together there is nothing we can't handle. I love you, Liara T'Soni. Don't you ever forget that and don't you ever doubt that I'll support you, whatever your choices and where ever your path may take you.}

As the transport touched down, Liara took a deep breath and withdrew from the meld, loving the devoted pillar of support that stood rock-solid before her. Separating from Shepard, she wiped away her own tears and put a light smile on her face as she reached out and took Samantha's hand, saying simply, "I know." Hand-in-hand, the pair walked back to the main compartment. As the door of the transport opened, they looked at each other, smiled, and knowing the obstacles that lay before them, carefully stepped out into the brilliant Thessian sunshine and their brightening future.