Notes: I'm not sure all are aware that I love to create the 'book covers' for each of my stories… which I have posted on my DeviantArt web page, under DesertSunriseFFAuthr. For this story, I have used (with permission, of course!) an image from DeviantArt by the artist A-lichka called Liara Croft – Ilos Ruins for the entirety of the cover. Other than adding the title text and such, I didn't change a thing. It's the perfect image for the coming story.

Anam Cara - Soul Friend/Mate (Gaelic)

Imbolc - Druid Festival marking the start of spring, St Brigid's Day (Gaelic)

Ionúin Álainn - beautiful beloved (Gaelic)

Siame - "one who is all", a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian/Source: CDN)

Ch 1: Prologue

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 1 Feb 2190

Liara had spent the first month of the new year renewing her credentials and reestablishing contacts within the archaeology profession. A number of her Asari colleagues had perished during the war and, given Doctor T'Soni's relative newly-discovered fame, the University of Serrice was more than happy to extend an appointment to one of the saviors of the galaxy – despite her relative youth – as a paid Honorary Professor. As part of her contract, she would receive a token stipend, to include complete access to any university facilities and full professor pay for any seminar presentations, as well as regular pay for the duration of any digs in which she hosted advanced students as part of her team.

In exchange, the university would gain first option to be the host for any dissertations or papers Liara produced, along with the privilege of using her name for advertising purposes regarding enrollment in its College of Archaeology. She was forwarding the last of the signed documentation to the Dean when she saw Shepard entering the room so, as soon as she received the 'TRANSMISSION COMPLETE' notification, she closed down her system and turned to her bondmate. "It is done, Samantha." A huge grin illuminated the Asari's face as she added, "I am now an Honorary Professor to the University of Serrice College of Archaeology!"

"That's quite the mouthful, Professor T'Soni," Shepard responded, with a proud grin spreading uncontrollably across her lips.

"I know!" Liara chuckled. "Who knew that I would go straight from my Doctorate to an Honorary Professor, skipping decades of field research time as an understudy in the process."

"I did, my Ionúin Álainn." Shepard stepped up and wrapped her arms loosely around her still laughing bondmate. "Because few others but me honestly believed in your doctoral thesis, so there was no one in the profession with which you could be an understudy. Which is also likely the main reason I found you alone, scared, and believing you were going to either perish of thirst or die at the hands of a terribly angry Krogan Battlemaster mercenary."

"Goddess, yes." Liara involuntarily shuddered at the memory before recomposing herself enough to make a witty reply. "But not so dehydrated nor so scared that I wasn't able to pull your gorgeous self out of a volcano." Liara leaned in to place a gentle kiss on her siame's lips before adding, "I wasn't about to let my savior perish so soon after she stepped into my life."

Shepard drew a contented breath, reveling in the caress of Liara's lips upon her own; a feeling she was sure would never cease to both calm and excite her at the same time. No one had ever brought forth the combination of reactions in her that Doctor Liara T'Soni was capable of provoking. Samantha did not expect anyone else could ever be Liara's equal; with every kiss, every touch, every thought – no matter how fleeting – that passed between them, Samantha simply knew they were true soul mates, destined to remain together for an eternity.

"For which I will be forever grateful, Blue." Samantha's eyes sparkled as she answered, slowly stepping back and reluctantly dropping the loose hold she had on her Anam Cara. "So, what's next?" she asked. "I have a couple of ideas to toss your way if you haven't gotten that far in your thought process, yet."

"Even if I had, I'd love to hear your ideas anyway, Sam." Liara grudgingly released her hold on the woman, letting Samantha create a small distance between them. Even with their extremely rare, but nearly constant, connection of Inanna, physical contact with Shepard always brought additional comfort and serenity to her soul. She sometimes felt as if she could cuddle on a couch with the woman and never move again, simply reveling in the augmented connection generated by their touch.

Hearing the thoughts through the link, Shepard smirked as she replied, "We'd be quickly bored, Li. You'd get back to thinking about the Protheans, and me? I'd have to get up and do pushups... or something, at least... simply feeling the need to move."

Liara's face suddenly flamed with a bright blush, as the unanticipated memory of a particular morning in the Illium apartment – when they were just discovering the concept of Inanna, even though they had no idea at the time such a thing even existed – suddenly rushed across the link. Liara immediately knew Samantha would most certainly not be bored… but the memory definitely involved more than simple cuddling.

Samantha instantly caught the thought, and the sensations that roared through her body along with the memory induced a muted groan of desire. "Gods, Liara. How are we supposed to discuss our future, when all I see in my head now is that?"

"I don't know!" Liara blurted. "Should I say I'm sorry for interrupting your thoughts… or should we retire to our room and take care of it… now that our desires have surged to the fore?"

"To Hell with going all the way up to our room." A wicked grin appeared on Shepard's face as she opened her omnitool and secured the door to Liara's office. "You have a perfectly good couch, right here."

It was much later in the day when they finally sat on the couch, leaning contentedly into one another, when Liara asked, "So… what exactly were those ideas you mentioned earlier?"

Shepard chuckled quietly in their welcome tranquility. "Well, the first was to revisit Eden Prime and finish that in-depth study you wanted to do with… what was his name? Tyson Launt… that structural safety engineer. Maybe recruit him for your expedition team? He certainly seemed to know what he was doing." Samantha suddenly smirked as she added, "We could certainly use the help of someone who actually knows when it's safe to use a high-powered mining laser and – more importantly – when it's not."

Liara couldn't help but to laugh, rejoicing when the discussion elicited one of Shepard's trademark grins that she loved so much. "Goddess, yes. We can't have you blowing up volcanos and destroying any more precious archaeological sites now, can we?" Turning her head, she placed a quick kiss on Samantha's cheek before continuing, "Eden Prime is very close to the top of my list… but follows, at a minimum, a visit to the university so I can take a peek at those hidden archives my mother so effectively kept from me."

Liara's voice grew solemn as a solitary tear escaped and trickled down her left cheek. "I only wish she were here now, to help me unravel the mysteries and secrets she guarded so well. She was exceptionally good at what she did." Shaking her head, Liara added, "For all I know, it could take us months just to crack the encryption she likely placed on each and every file. I will hate the delay such efforts will cause, keeping us from going directly out to the field, but I believe it is a vital step. Proper research… before the expedition… is essential to success."

"We have some pretty good hackers at our disposal," Shepard answered. Reaching over to take Liara's hand, she gently squeezed it as she continued, "And, in all probability, Benezia was not the only one who had access to those files. We can speak with the university researchers and see what they know." She paused and shook her head. "And simply hope that those scientists murdered during the Cerberus raid on the Temple weren't the only other ones who had access."

"Wouldn't that be just our luck?" Liara huffed and smiled, "But you are correct; we do have a decent cast of support personnel to ask for help. The first that comes to mind is Kasumi…"

"Oh, yes," Shepard laughed. "I believe Kas would absolutely love such a challenge! That's a great idea, Blue!" Feeling the tiny bit of relief trickling through the link, Shepard continued, "So, do you want me to contact Bau through the Spectre net, just to keep things on the up-and-up, or do you want to contact Kas through the Brokerage?"

After a moment's pause, Liara answered, "Yes," then explained, "I will contact Kas to give her some advance warning and tell her to expect the formal request through Jon. I can't imagine they wouldn't be available, given the relative calm that currently exists throughout the galaxy."

"You just had to say that out loud, didn't you?" Shepard grinned and shook her head. "Do I need to explain the Human concept of 'tempting fate' to you again? Throw something like that out to the universe, and some God or Goddess, somewhere, will try to figure out a way to screw with your plans, just because they can." Shepard squeezed Liara's hand and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "You can share those thoughts with me through the link, T'Soni, but never, ever say something like that out loud for them to hear!"

"Understood, Samantha." Liara offered up a loving smile to the woman as a random thought entered her mind regarding how easily she had accepted the woman's polytheism. Even though her own religion was purported to be monotheistic, it could be easily interpreted by outsiders as having multiple deities. Athame had guides – Janiri and Lucen, who taught everything from basic agriculture to medicine and astrology – as well as multiple aspects, with the maiden, matron, and matriarch facets of her existence – with all five coexisting to oversee the development of Asari society.

Liara's smile abruptly shifted to a slight frown as she thought of the busts that had been destroyed in the temple – those of Janiri and Lucen – which had borne a strong, discomforting resemblance to Javik. Based on the stories Javik had told her, the Protheans had been helping and guiding Asari development for centuries before their failure to defeat the Reaper cleansing so long ago. That discovery alone had seriously shaken Liara's faith, as well as her trust in the accuracy of recorded Asari history. If she was honest with herself, the upcoming quest to find the lost Protheans was like Athame in a way – it possessed many aspects – but her greatest motivation behind locating them was her very personal need to ease the guilt she felt over possibly killing the last member of their species.

As that thought passed through the link, Samantha reached out and laid a gentle hand on her forearm. "Hey. Enough. That smug bastard was trying to kill me, and you only did what was necessary to save my life." She smirked softly and added, "I'm just glad you didn't blow a hole in the Normandy's hull, given the strength of the warp you slammed him with!"

Also recalling the incident with Jona Sederis, Liara flushed with embarrassment over her rather apparent lack of control when it came to protecting her siame, to which Samantha responded with a quiet chuckle. "You and me, both, Liara. Javik didn't realize what he was stepping into, taking on either one of us. He either didn't care… or had no idea how much we mean to one another… just as you had no idea of the level of hypocrisy existing on the part of the Asari government of old, to conceal the Prothean beacon at the temple while also voting with the Council to declare it illegal to withhold just such technology from the other members."

"Yes." Liara shook her head, sadness seeping into every corner of her being. "And my mother was part of the coverup, all along. I have to wonder how much that played into her trying to change my path, so she would not be forced to reveal her duplicity to me."

Liara was relieved when Sam made no effort to rebut her statement. Instead, she simply stepped close again and wrapped Liara in her strong arms, hugging her tight. "Your mother loved you, Li. More than anything. I'm sure her motivation was to shield you and keep you from becoming party to the deception. But then, the coming war forced the issue, stealing away the time she needed to find a solution to her dilemma… as well as any chance for a reconciliation."

"That is kind of you to say, Siame, though I am not yet quite able to believe it." Liara let out a sigh and relaxed into Samantha's comforting embrace. "Perhaps we will find information amidst the files which will tell us, one way or another, the truth of the matter. Either way, it would provide closure… which has to be better than the nagging doubts I currently hold."

"That it will, Blue… and, no matter what we discover, I will be at your side through it all." Shepard's lips curled up and she placed a soft kiss on a cool blue cheek before pushing back. "Which brings us back to the topic at hand…" She shrugged and continued, "My other idea was to contact the Alliance and find out the disposition of all the Prothean data discs I turned in to them at the start of all this mess. A couple of them had players with them, so with a bit of tinkering to get them running, combined with the cypher, it's likely I could translate them now."

Liara's heart skipped a beat as the anticipation and enthusiasm regarding her prospective future returned. "What an excellent idea! Where would we even start?"

"Now, that's more like it!" Laughing, Shepard continued, "I still have plenty of friends in high places in Sol, most of whom owe me at least one favor… but I think our better path would be to contact Tevos and put in an official request, through the Council. Like with Jon and Kas… staying on the up-and-up."

"Let's do it!" Liara started to stand, suddenly in a rush to make the call, when Sam reached over and grabbed her arm, halting her progress.

"Hang on just a sec!" she said, amusement coloring her words. "You haven't heard my last suggestion yet!" Liara said nothing, simply widening her eyes a bit in joyful anticipation as she sat back down to listen.

"The last one is to visit all the known pyramid sites." Shepard smiled softly as Liara's confusion trickled through the link. "I can name three off the top of my head but would think there are more to be found. I'm currently most interested in Chasca and Tuntau, as both locations also revealed writings of Matriarch Dilinaga…" Shepard paused and Liara picked up on her trail.

"Which suggests the Matriarch had already drawn a conclusion as to their importance and may have already been investigating the pyramids and their possible connection to the Reapers… or the Protheans." She sat back in amazement at the unexpected revelation. "Why didn't I see that before now?"

Shepard laughed as she replied, "Geez, Liara! Give yourself a break. I'm thinking you were busy enough trying to save the galaxy from the Reapers, so chasing a few elusive writings by an ages-old Matriarch didn't exactly make it to your list of research topics!"

Liara grinned, her voice soft with appreciation as she replied, "I suppose you are correct in that premise, Samantha. We have been just a tad bit busy, haven't we?"

"Yeah, just a tad." Smiling, Shepard stood and stretched before reaching out a hand in invitation, which Liara happily accepted. Rising with her bondmate, the Asari inquired, "Does this mean we can now call Rae, to explain our proposal and see what assistance she can give us on the galactic stage?"

"Absolutely, Dr T'Soni." Samantha indicated for Liara to lead the way. "This is your show. For once, I get to play second fiddle instead of being the concert master!"

As the House gathered for dinner, Liara and Shepard shared their news of the upcoming events. "I have completed my arrangements with Serrice University and am beginning to make selections for my expedition team, but we have plenty of time to do so, as there is a lot of preparatory work to complete before we actually go anywhere. We spoke with Councilor Tevos today, so plan on visiting her and Sha'ira this weekend to discuss how we coordinate with the other races to lead expeditions on their worlds. As we've seen in the past, sometimes such negotiations can be… difficult… as an independent agent… so, Shepard and I have determined Council backing could be an essential element for gaining some of those permissions."

"Once we actually begin the hunt," Liara glanced at Shepard as she continued, "we will be taking both the Aletheia and the Knight Shade for support. Commando escort teams will swap out…" she paused and looked at Livos as she continued, "… based on Captain Livos' schedule, which is yet to be determined. We'll have more information as the project comes together and we'll keep everyone informed of what's going on." She smiled and repeated her own words from long ago. "There will be no secrets in House T'Soni."

As she finished, Shepard stood up. "There could be no better fitting discussion for tonight's celebration of Imbolc. It is, after all, a holiday to celebrate the coming of spring… the renewal of life… a time to plant new harvests and plan for the coming year. It is the rebirth of hope and a nod to the potential of our futures, which will become what we make of our opportunities." She lifted her glass of Elasa and looked to her Ionúin Álainn. "So, I toast to our joint ventures into life's new normal… Doctor, Honorary Professor, and Lady Liara T'Soni and her sure-to-be-amazing future as the galaxy's preeminent archaeologist!"

A/N: And here we are with 'The Archaeologist'! Thanks to all for being patient as we got ourselves organized for this next segment (as well as taking a couple weeks off to focus on ME: Legendary!) and hope you don't mind a story that will be somewhat Liara-centric instead of Shepard… Mostly, we simply hope you continue to enjoy the ongoing saga. :-)