AN: Dear hiddenshadows, thank you for your nice review, it made me a little more confident about my portrayal of the characters :) Here we go!

It wasn't too hard to get his family through the security checkpoint, he just had to call in some favors from a few old C-Sec friends. One of the smaller hotels on the ward still had vacancies, and even though both his father and sister protested that they could stay in a refugee camp, he just waved them off. After they had a proper meal for the first time in weeks, regarding their pace while eating, his father told Garrus how they managed to escape.

"The Primarch himself sent the vessel… he said someone he owed a lot requested to get us off-planet… First we thought it was you, but… we hadn't heard from you for so long." His voice sounded tired, as if he had aged twenty years since Garrus last saw him.

"Palaven looks bad, son… I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad your mother didn't live to see the war come to our homeworld."

"Before Victus sent us the ship, we met this strange woman, Tanaquil. She just approached us at the refugee hideout in Corvus, and said she would help take us away. We didn't trust her first… she looked a bit shady, like she knew how to stay hidden, but she was nice to us.", Solana explained further.

"We wanted to know who helped us, so when we were on the freighter, we asked Tanaquil and she let us talk to a person over the comm link. But… the voice was distorted, although it explained where we were headed and that we could meet you again. Nobody would tell us who our savior is, not Tanaquil, not the Primarch, and not even the person himself.", Aetius gestured in frustration.

"We just want to thank him in person. You know who it was, right Garrus?", Solana said almost angrily. Garrus understood the circumstances of their escape fully after hearing the story. It was strange that everyone who helped in the process had deflected the question about Shepard's identity, even herself, because the person they talked to over the comm certainly had been her. But he would ponder that later.

"There was more than one person involved in your rescue. Primarch Victus was contacted by the Shadow Broker as soon as the broker's agent – Tanaquil – had tracked you down. But all of them acted at the request of the person you talked to on the ship, my Commanding Officer.", he elaborated.

"Commander Shepard? She helped us?", his father exclaimed.

"Shepard… I've seen her on the news. She's a hero! She defeated Saren and the geth, and Cerberus, and rescued the Primarch so he could call the war summit. She brought the krogan to help on Palaven… How do you know her?", Solana asked in astonishment. Aetius stayed silent, but his face told Garrus that it was time to come clean about everything to his sister.

"And she ended the war between the geth and the quarians, and delayed the arrival of the Reapers two times.", he added.

"It's time you knew the truth, Sol. There is no point in hiding it anymore. I witnessed all those events, beginning with the hunt for Saren more than three years ago. After I left C-Sec I joined Commander Shepard – who is a Spectre, as you know – and helped her chase Saren all across the galaxy. We learned about the Reapers and their plan, but after we saved the Citadel from Sovereign and Shepard died, all her warnings were ignored.

In my anger and frustration, I went to Omega, a hell-hole where I passed judgement on criminals until the Commander literally rose from the dead and recruited me again. We found out about the Collectors, an enigmatic race who once were the Protheans, but they were twisted and forced to serve the Reapers. I went on a Suicide Mission with some of the most skilled specialists of all combat and research fields.

There were five humans, a salarian, an asari, a krogan, a drell, a quarian, even a geth – and me. We travelled to the galactic core and destroyed the Collectors before they could build their own private Reaper from a mountain of human corpses. Because of that… it took me too long to return to Palaven, and Mum… As I said at the funeral, I couldn't come sooner." His sister had been silent while he told the story and now just gave the tiniest nod of acceptance.

"You know the rest, mostly from the news. I met Shepard again on Menae, searching for the Primarch. Of course I joined her again. I watched her pave the way for the cure of the genophage and rewrite history, and I was there when the quarians landed on their homeworld after three hundred years of exile, at peace with the geth. Sadly, I also saw Thessia fall to the Reapers. And soon, we will bring the might of the galaxy to save Earth.", Garrus said further.

"Is it true that there is some kind of super-weapon that can destroy the Reapers?", Aetius asked.

"The Crucible, yes. Although… I have to admit that even I don't know much about it. Here's hoping it's a giant gun that will just blow them away.", Garrus said, leaning back on the hotel couch. From the corner of his eye, he could see Solana muster him with a strange look.

"I guess you actually did some pretty impressive things…", she said a bit stretched, as if she was going somewhere with this, "And I can see now why you have such a high opinion about this Commander of yours…" There was definitely an alarming tone in her voice, exactly like when they were kids and she had found out about some childish mischief he had caused.

"Funny thing, but from the news casts I've seen, she looked a lot like that woman at the docking bay." His sister rubbed her hand against her chin and the look she gave him couldn't have been clearer: "I'm onto you.", it said. Their father cleared his throat audibly, but no one seemed to pay him attention.

"Yes… That was her…", Garrus, who felt a bit like he was being lured into a trap, murmured.

"So if someone who knew your patterns for lying all her life would have… I don't know, turned around after supposedly going to the cargo hold and seen you act in a very unmilitary way towards your Commander…", she went on, a satisfied expression on her face as she saw his mandibles go limp.

"You spied!", he snapped at her, angry about being exposed like this.

"It's a good thing I did, otherwise you'd probably never told us!", she hissed back at him.

"Spirits, here it comes…", Garrus voice was sarcastic now, "One of Solana Vakarian's famous wrong assumptions. I planned to tell you, but now I regret that plan. This is just like when I was younger and you had to butt in on everything I did -"

"Oh please, all the crap you pulled during your military training! They would have kicked you out if I hadn't calmed them down." Now she was on the warpath – her arms folded and her eyes narrowed to slits, they just as well could have been fifteen again, arguing over him sneaking off into a bar with his friends as a result to some kind of bet between them.

"I just told you that I helped save the galaxy – still at it by the way – and you said yourself that Shepard is a damn hero. Now you intend to put the blame on me? Isn't that hypocrisy?" Garrus pointed an accusing talon at her.

"That was before I knew she's your – what? – girlfriend? I don't care if she pulled a hundred turian children out of a sinkhole with her bare hands, she's a stranger to me. I respect her as the hero she is, but not as the woman you chose as your mate." Solana turned her head away from him stubbornly.

"You're impossible.", he said with disbelief.

"Sol, you can't be serious.", his father piped up in a tone that would have silenced lesser beings, but it did nothing here.

If the Vakarian siblings had one thing in common, it was their stolidity – crucial in some situations, direly obstructive in social conflicts like this one. Garrus let out a big sigh, a big one because it consisted of many small sighs, each for a different reason. Shepard won't be pleased about hearing that his sister had spied on them and found out about their relationship, and particularly not after she learned Solana's opinion about it.

Sol, on the other hand… whatever demon possessed her for making a scene like this, it wouldn't go down without a fight. And here he sat thinking he was already waging the toughest war he would ever see, just to be caught in the middle of a second one. And this would be a war between women, who he both knew to be capable of bringing nasty to a whole new level. Cynically, he wondered if the Reapers were really the thing he should be most afraid of right now.

"All wrong, Shepard!", Liara's voice echoed through the woods like wind chimes and she slid behind cover almost a second too late. A clump of blue energy, concentrated to its breaking point, just missed her by an inch and exploded into the next best tree with an uncomfortable warping sound.

"You're still trying to put force in it – it'll never work like that!" Liara sounded cheerful, at least much more than usually, but there was also a harsh tutoring tone in her words. Shepard tried to take deep breaths to get through the irritating exhaustion that threatened to grip her. All asari were biotics, and even though they had to train just the same, calling forth their powers came much more naturally to them than it did to humans. Or maybe they could just muster the concentration better, since they had centuries of experience.

A shiver went through her body as she gathered her mind and with a strong push, she jumped out of her cover. Liara came into her view, simply standing between the trees and rubble, not even a weapon in her hand. You can't move, you can't move, the mantra echoed in her head and the next moment, a net of tangled white strings appeared around Liara. Before they could do what they were supposed to, the strings crackled and a shower of tiny sparks rained down upon her, dissolving as soon as they hit her barrier.

"That was an impressive small firework, but still…", before Shepard could react, the asari stretched out both hands, glowing with biotic power, "…no…" Her movements froze, her body went rigid, "…good!", and she stirred no more, a perfectly formed Stasis field glittered on her skin. Liara walked up to her with folded arms, as if she had all the time in the world, since Shepard couldn't do anything to break free from the Stasis.

"Why is it that you master every technique I show you without an effort, but you can't manage a Stasis field?", she said and released the field with a gesture of her hand. Shepard sagged to her feet with a grunt.

"I don't know, Liara. It just doesn't feel right somehow.", she sighed and stretched to get rid of the lingering stiffness in her joints.

"This isn't about changing the location of things, like pulling or throwing, neither is it about detonating the energy like Warp or Flare. Offensive abilities require you to visualize the process of action, the movement, to put pressure on your enemy. Stasis is the complete opposite, actually. Your mind needs to create complete stillness. It's strange, since you had no problems with the barrier… You did that on your first try.", Liara explained.

"Creating a barrier is about concentrating on protection. That's just like…"

"… second nature for you. I should have known.", the asari smiled slightly. "In any case, you seemed distracted during the whole session today. Did something not go as planned, meeting the in-laws?" Liara consulted her omni-tool to initiate a combat simulation. A drone appeared from nowhere and started a countdown. At the far side of the forest clearing, red holograms lit up to mark where the enemies would appear, and both of them slipped into cover behind the ruins of an ancient statue.

"Don't call them that…", Shepard mumbled.

The countdown hit zero and several Collector troops manifested out of thin air, moving swiftly and shooting their strange particle rifles. In an instant, Liara rolled to the side and a ball of energy burst from her hands. The Singularity planted itself into the midst of the enemies, yanking them off their feet and staggering those who had protective barriers nevertheless.

Shepard felt the tension build up as she visualized the Flare, her fingers tingled with the biotic surge answering her call. The next moment, she was out in the open field and her hands unleashed a concentrated bullet that pierced Liara's warp field right through the heart. With a deafening clash, the biotic combination detonated, its raw force beams crackling everywhere in the proximity. Back in cover, Shepard took a deep breath. Unleashing a flare forced her to recharge for long and precious seconds, but it was her most destructive ability.

A particle shot cut through the tree that she used as a hiding place and damaged her barrier, which provoked a light curse from her side. An assassin and a guardian were trying to flank them from the left side, but Liara was quick on her feet. A well-aimed warp made the guardian stagger and Shepard didn't wait until he recovered. Fly!

It was one of the most basic lessons biotics learned: See what happens before it happens, and think of the easiest metaphor to shape the thought into reality. Two projectiles launched from her hand and left traces of blue light behind as they flew like shooting stars. The Guardian was caught in the powerful explosion when the projectile detonated his warped body, but the assassin tried to dodge the second one. Unlucky for him, it followed by flying a curve and knocked him off his feet, right into a pile of rubble. A charged shot from the Arc Pistol finished him before he could gather himself.

"I thought that after this clone situation, you wouldn't be too thrilled about our training session.", Liara noted on their way to the locker room. Shepard rummaged in her N7 bag for a candy bar and ripped it open heartily. Long and excessive use of biotic powers had the downside that she always felt haggard afterwards, craving something meaty or sweet.

"Fighting yourself has a way to put things in perspective. It reminds you that you should never stop evolving.", she answered accompanied by chewing sounds.

"I guess so…" Liara disassembled her submachine gun carefully. Shepard had to give her credit. She'd come a long way from a naïve and socially shy archaeologist to the secretive existence of the Shadow Broker and a skilled combatant, for what it's worth. Her thorough watch on her friend's handiwork didn't go unnoticed. "You look like you're having some deep thoughts. Would you like to share them?", Liara asked as she packed the gun away.

"I just noticed how much you have grown as a person since I met you.", Shepard said with a hint of pride in her voice.

"Thank you, Shepard. I've always loved my work as an archaeologist, and I still do. But I guess sometimes the paths we choose in our youth can lead to unpredictable goals in the future. I never imagined mine would take a turn like this, and yet… I wouldn't have it any other way. Sometimes I wonder… Would I still be digging at some site if my mother hadn't been indoctrinated, if I hadn't been trapped on Therum… if I hadn't met you?" she smiled as if someone had told a private joke.

"It's strange – for all of us, so much is different now. Everything but you. You never change. You're still that incredible, unwavering creature who told me it will be okay even though I was locked behind an impenetrable forcefield, frightened and alone. The eye of the storm, where there is only silence and calm while outside the world is falling to pieces."

"Most of the time it's anything but silent and calm around me…", Shepard muttered half-sarcastically.

"Yes, you do have a persistent affinity to life-threatening situations. But I didn't mean it literally.", Liara said, looking thoughtful. "You would have made an excellent asari, Shepard."

"That's probably the greatest compliment you have ever given me." Her smile was a little sad. "But I'd disappoint you. I was nervous today… scared even. All the things I have done without hesitation, and yet I couldn't face my mate's family."

"You fear their judgement. But that's not all, is it?", Liara tilted her head and Shepard sighed.

"I grew up without a family, never knowing what that kind of bond feels like. People can hate their parents, but still sacrifice their lives to protect them. Kolyat resented his father for leaving him alone, but he could never truly turn his back on Thane. Tali begged me to keep her father's honor even though she was furious about what he had done. Everyone I know has some issue with their family, some loose end that they can't seem to get rid of. Even you, Liara. You're still angry with your mother. And you still miss her. Am I right?" The Commander's light blue eyes watched her carefully, but Liara didn't sense an intention to tear open old wounds.

"Turning your back on your kin is likely one of the hardest things in this world. No matter how much we struggle, they'll always be a part of us. Neglecting them means losing a fraction of yourself. You'll live, but… you'll never be whole again."

"You love them, even when you hate them.", Shepard said in a cryptic tone. "I can understand that. I feel likewise about the people I consider the closest thing I got to family. For me, it's the same, because I never had it any other way. But it may not be mutual… We're not related, I haven't married any of you, I didn't grow up with any of you. I'm not part of your real family." She walked away from Liara and hung her head, lost in deep thought.

"What if I'm just someone on the outside, looking in? A pretender, playing house… A fraud." She turned around, waving her hand dismissively.

"Did you know that Garrus never really got along with his father? There was a time when they didn't even talk to each other for months, even years. And that his sister blamed him because he was never there for their terminally ill mother? He doesn't talk about it much, so I had to piece it together from what little I know, and by reading the files on Hagalaz. But when they saw each other at the docking bay… those things didn't matter anymore. I had all these clever words prepared, and the moment they spotted me, my head went blank." Liara's eyes widened slightly when the realization hit her.

"You… have never done this before.", she said, bewildered.

"Is it really that surprising? I've been in the military since I was fifteen. And the N7 program is even more time-consuming.", Shepard tried to explain.

"But… you've had other relationships. Like with Kaidan." Liara's voice sounded a little questioning.

"If you really call that a relationship, spending a few nights together… Then I've had a few, yeah. Only this is a whole different thing. This is…", her words trailed away.

"… the first time you are fully committed to someone. You're not a fraud, Shepard. Just afraid to do something wrong in a matter that is very important to you. Some of the gravest choices I can fathom rested on your shoulders, and you made them because you had foresight of the consequences, strengthened by experience."

"I can handle missing a target in battle, and I can handle people calling me 'disgraced' on the news. But I can't handle the thought of disappointing him. It's not an option." She made a resolute gesture to punctuate her point, a mannerism that Liara knew too well from their past journeys together.

"This isn't something you can rationalize for justification, or where you can rely on experience. That's not how relationships work.", Liara pointed out.

"So what do you suggest?", Shepard asked with folded hands.

"Well I'd consider telling the turian you are going to meet at the Silver Coast Casino bar in… about two hours how you really feel about his family. I'm sure he'll find a way to ease your worries. You should know best that a lot of problems can be solved by simply talking to each other.", the asari answered with a knowing smile.

"You're probably right… I should… wait a second, how do you know about that meeting? Did you set an agent on me?" Shepard raised her eyebrows in fake accusation.

"I'm the agent set on you.", Liara said as they walked to the Armax Arsenal exit doors. Shepard couldn't hold back a small laugh.

"I guess I should feel flattered now.", she said, before the doors opened and they stepped outside onto the lively boulevard.