Time. If there was one thing Liara had to her advantage, it was that time was on her side. After all, the asari lifespan dwarfed those of most other races, and she herself was still quite young-even if her hundred years of living hardly endeared her to seeming youthful to those aforementioned other races. Just a little time and maybe...

"But what about us, Shepard? Is there a mutual attraction? Or was I wrong about that too?"

She wished she hadn't been so straightforward, that she'd only held back and waited a few years-that she'd never asked Shepard to choose between her and Ashley. Would Shepard have chosen differently if only she hadn't bombarded the commander with her feelings, if she'd never pushed her to make a choice in the first place?

That's what haunted her-that things could've turned out differently if only she hadn't been so inexperienced, so naive, so... young.

She grimaced to herself, pacing slowly around the waiting room as Glyph's sensors tracked her movement. Shepard was visiting Ashley in her hospital room to talk for the first time since Mars. Liara felt badly for it, but in a way, she wished that the visit would go poorly-that they wouldn't reconcile, that they would go their separate ways. She could be there to comfort Shepard, and in that maybe grow closer to her, which... would make her the worst kind of person, but she couldn't deny that her thoughts had wandered in that direction-more than wandered, really, it was all Liara could focus on.

How could she think like that? Ashley had been a friend, a squadmate, and deep down she knew Ash truly loved Shepard despite their confrontation on Horizon and the tense atmosphere between them on Mars.

And on top of it, there was a war going on. She should be devoting her time to finding more resources for the Crucible, funding the war, using her Shadow Broker status to move mountains, not think toxic thoughts about her commander and their relationship status-or pointed lack thereof.

Just as Liara began to mentally beat herself up, Shepard emerged from the back room.

Liara straightened up, walking over to her with a concerned look. "Well? How did it go?"

Shepard breathed a sigh before her face lit up like the first day of spring. Liara felt a sinking feeling in her chest.

"We still have things to work out, but I have faith in us," Shepard intoned as she folded her hands, looking more resolute than ever.

The sinking feeling turned into that of a knife into Liara's heart as both regret and guilt washed over her.

"Oh," Liara replied impassively before injecting some enthusiasm into her response, "I'm glad to hear it, and I'm pleased that Ash is on the mend. Any word on how long her stay will be?" She wasn't so black-hearted as to wish ill on her squadmate so that she could claim Shepard's heart in her stead-she was truly glad that Ash would be alright. Liara just... wanted Shepard's heart for herself.

"A few more weeks, though I'm sure she'll be itching to blow this joint long before then." Shepard stretched a little and chuckled.

Liara laughed as well-albeit almost nervously-and extended her hand to Shepard. "Shall we go, then?"

Shepard took her hand and smiled-oh, if only Shepard would smile like that only at her, she would be happy for the rest of her life. "Yeah, let's get out of here."

"And go where, Commander?"

"To the stars! Or the bar. Which rhymes, but ultimately it's up to you, my dear." Shepard swung their entwined hands playfully.

"The stars sound nice, but a drink sounds better," Liara admitted, wanting a drink after the events that had just unfolded.

They both decided that at that current moment they preferred the quiet atmosphere of the Normandy to that of Purgatory or Silversun Strip, and so they headed back to the lounge and poured out a few rounds.

"I was just so scared when Ash was attacked on Mars, you know?" Shepard sipped her drink, eyes glazed over just a little as she stared forward. "I realized that I didn't want to lose her."

"I know how it feels to not want to lose somebody," Liara mumbled back-she was considerably more intoxicated than Shepard, something which rarely ever happened for Liara, but she'd settled on not having any inhibitions, not tonight.

"Yeah?"

"My mother, Feron..." Liara trailed off. "You know, if we're reminiscing, you don't happen to remember that time on the original Normandy where Ash and I asked you to choose between us?"

Shepard let out an explosive laugh, and Liara felt a little hurt by it.

"What? I don't think it was very funny." Liara crossed her arms.

"No, I'm not laughing at you Liara, don't look so crestfallen. It's just... God, that was so long ago." Shepard finished off her drink and poured another.

"Was it really? I mean, I suppose it was, but it feels like just yesterday for me."

"It would, wouldn't it? Miss Hundred-Year-Old."

"Oh, stop it."

"I think I know what you're getting at, though," Shepard related thoughtfully. "You're very special to me, Liara. So is Ash, just in a different way-but you'll always be my Liara."

Shepard put her arm around Liara's shoulders, and Liara could practically feel her heart beat out of her chest. On a drunken whim, she rested her head on Shepard's arm, nuzzling into it.

"Thank you, Shepard. That really means a lot to me," came Liara's heartfelt reply. A part of her considered confessing her feelings right then and there, but... she'd already been rejected. Once on the original Normandy, and... again, just now.

She'd been rejected twice.

"I... I think I need to return to my cabin, I'm afraid I've had a bit too much to drink," Liara blurted out with an apologetic smile.

She abruptly stood up, intending to leave Shepard no time to say anything in response.

"I didn't say anything wrong, did I?" Shepard looked up at Liara with drunkenly dejected eyes, and Liara felt sick inside.

"No, no, it's just... I feel a little sick." It wasn't a lie, not really.

Shepard patted Liara on her backside. "Head back to your room and get some rest."

"Will do, Commander."

It took everything in her to hold back her tears before she reached her room. What a fool she'd been even mentioning what happened on the original Normandy. And no inhibitions? What a half-baked attempt at that, she couldn't even say the words, "I love you." All she'd managed to do was to get drunk, rejected, and upset. At the end of the day, even through her steely big bad Shadow Broker facade, she was still too inexperienced, too naive, too damned young.

Time. She could just give it a few years and maybe their relationship would blow over. But... somehow, Liara now knew she needed more than time, and with that realization she feared that she would never have what she would need in order to find her place in Shepard's heart.