Soooo... this is set in the same universe as Love Bound, the collared!Liara/Femshep fic I did a couple weeks ago. Reading it would be helpful, but not totally necessary.

Call it a sequel, if you'd like. I just wanted to explore more of the ideas laid out in the original fill, and it was requested by a couple folks for me to continue it.

That being said, I'm going to preface this with a fuck ton of author's notes.

Okay, the sequel is going to be heavier on plot. I'm sorry in advance. There will still be a decent helping of smut and D/s, but I really wanted to explore some of the ideas I had in the original fill with Shepard being crippled, adjusting to civilian life, Earth recovering, how others react to their D/s relationship, etc. The wounded warrior concept is personal to me, and I want to see how Liara and Shepard deal with it. That being said... this is also going to be a longer, ongoing fic. I usually don't post until I have a full, meaty chapter, but I'm feeling sadistic and wanted to put this first part up as a tease, see how many people want me to continue. ;-) Thanks for being patient with my rambling. And here is the tease...

"Are you sure you packed everything?"

"Liara, it's four days. And we aren't even leaving the planet. Or the continent for that matter." Shepard smiled, amused as she watched her lover pace back and forth across their bedroom. She picked a few extra rolls of socks from the dresser, walked to the bed to place them in her suitcase, only to change her mind and return to the dresser. "Besides, if we forget anything, I am sure I can use some of my pull as savior of all sentient life to get an extra pair of socks."

It was rare that she saw the asari harried. Even in the direst life or death situations, she always responded calmly, rationally. She kept her cool in combat, always responded well to pressure, never panicked. Very few things set Liara on edge, put her out of sorts. Well, except whenever Shepard drove them anywhere. But the only thing aside from what she referred to as "Shepard's suicidal driving tendencies" that managed to make her jumpy was her academic work.

It probably had to do with her early career, before she and Shepard met, when she was considered too young and naive to be taken serious by the academic community, when her theories and ideas were considered at best far-fetched and in some cases, heretical. But things had changed since then, and her theories and work with the Protheans was validated by an actual living Prothean.

"Did you pack your medicines?" Liara asked absently, her brow furrowed as she scrutinized the contents of her open suitcase.

Shepard's bags were already packed and waited by the bedroom door and had been for several hours. "Of course I did." She struggled against the stab of irritation in her gut. She might not be in top form, not capable of taking a charging krogan or even making it to the kitchen without her cane, but she wasn't completely helpless. Her lover was just anxious, she reminded herself. "Hey, come here, love."

"Shepard, not right now. The shuttle will be here in twenty minutes to pick us up." She refolded her clothing to make more room for another outfit. Just in case.

"Liara," Her voice sharpened, indicating that it was not a request. "Come here." Her tone finally broke through the asari's preoccupation, and she complied, moving to her lover's side and allowing her hand to be taken. Shepard smiled and pulled her into her lap, ignoring the shriek of protest from her hip and leg. Resting her hand in the small of Liara's back, she softened her voice. "You're going to give yourself an aneurysm before you even get to the lecture if you keep this up."

Purple flushed the asari's cheeks, and she ducked her head, abashed. "I'm sorry, Commander." She sighed heavily and rubbed her face with her hands, an uncharacteristic gesture of nerves. "It's been so long since I've lectured. All I can think about is standing in front of all those people, and…"

"Hey, there's that awkward, shy archaeologist who stole my heart." Shepard teased, which only deepened the blush on her lover's face. In fairness, Liara had matured greatly over the years since they met. Now she presented a confident, unflappable countenance and most times it was true, but at heart she still possessed that timidity, that innocence of spirit and awkward uncertainty that Shepard found so endearing about her.

"Not helping," Liara said, but the broad smile that graced her lips betrayed her.

"You'll do wonderfully. You're a genius, and I can't wait to sit in that crowd and watch all those heads and scholars drool over my incredibly beautiful, unbelievably intelligent lover as you school them on stuff they weren't smart enough to figure out on your own, and know that you're all mine." Nuzzling into the asari's neck, she placed a delicate kiss on the curve of her jaw.

Liara ran her fingers through Shepard's hair, relaxing against her. It made her feel better to know that Shepard would be in the crowd, to know that her commander was proud of her. "All yours," She murmured, tilting her head and allowing her unhindered access to her neck.

"Speaking of which…" Shepard slipped a finger under her the collar fastened around Liara's neck. "I don't think you can wear this while you're lecturing."

"No," Liara agreed, a bit mournfully, touching her blue fingertips to the collar. "I might be able to get away with it since the majority of the attendees will be human. Humans are reluctant to acknowledge the obvious and would probably assume it is an accoutrement of asari culture."

Shepard turned the collar so the buckle was facing her and gently unbuckled it. She had not realized how accustomed she had become to seeing Liara wear it. Her neck appeared bare without it. Setting the collar beside her on the bed, she shifted to reach into her pocket. "Miranda helped me pick it out the last time we were here, since I have absolutely no sense of style, or so she claims." It was a braided leather necklace, not quite a choker, with a small, platinum medallion hanging from it. Shepard held it up for Liara to see.

From practiced routine, Liara held her head up, presenting her neck to Shepard so she could fasten the necklace on. She touched her fingers to the medallion that rested in the hollow of her throat. "It's engraved. It says Luthien, and…" Reaching into her pocket, she produced a second one, brown braided leather where the other was black and smaller. Shepard fastened it around her wrist. "This one says Beren. It's a reference to…"

Liara silenced her by placing her fingertips on her lips, then kissed her. "I know the myth, Shepard." She kissed her again, reached out with her mind to allow Shepard to feel the depth of her emotion, the overwhelming force of affection and tenderness the gesture had caused to well up in her throat.

Squeezing her hand tightly, Shepard affirmed the feelings with her own. "Come on then. Now we only have ten minutes until the shuttle gets here. That's enough packing. Let's wait on the porch."

A'right. Let me know, beloved readers. And don't forget, baby Reapers with killer lasers... you know the deal.