When Words Are Not Enough

There are times in life when even the

most heartfelt words are never enough

Liara races towards the elevator, her heart pounding in her chest as vivid, painful thoughts run laps through her mind. 'This has to be a mistake, the asteroid cannot be hurtling towards the Alpha relay. Goddess... what is going on? And is Jaelyn okay?' These thoughts run rampant through the asari's head as she repeatedly hits the console on the elevator.

"Whoa Liara... I think that is quite enough. Any more and the elevator will malfunction and we will need Donnelly or Daniels to crawl through the hatch to fix it... or maybe Joker, he seemed to have a fun time crawling through the ducts when EDI had him do it," a smooth feminine voice says from behind Liara.

"HA. HA. HA. You know I heard everything you said, don't you Miranda?" Joker says irritably through the intercom, "And no. I didn't have fun... I think I broke my wrist while trying to crawl through those damn things."

"Please!" the asari cries out, "Can you two stop joking around? Did you not see that the asteroid is about to hit the relay?" She turns around and eyes the ex-Cerberus operative.

Miranda sighs, "Yes, I did. I do not know what it means, but I know that the commander is perfectly well. She pinged us a few moments ago and we are heading to her coordinates as we speak."

"Her coordinates..." the newly appointed Shadow Broker takes a deep breath before continuing, "...on the asteroid, I presume?" When Miranda nods her head in acknowledegment, Liara sighs, "I need to get up to the cockpit. I need to see her when she comes aboard the ship. I have to know if she is okay."

"I understand, Liara," Miranda replies, her features soften with understanding, "but you do realise we are talking about Shepard, right?"

The doors to the elevator open with a swish causing the two women to stare into the opening, "Did you override the elevator earlier, Miranda?" Liara asks as she turns back to the human biotic.

"No, I didn't. That I can promise you."

"I did," a voice replies through the ship's intercom.

"EDI. Why would you do such a thing?" Garrus chides as he makes his way around the corner of the hall. The two women turned to look at him as he stops in front of the elevator, "What? I had to make a quick stop at the armoury. Who knows what sort of trouble Jaelyn is going to bring with her?"

"I thought it necessary," EDI resumes, "for Jeff to accomplish the manoeuvres that he needed to extract the Commander from the asteroid, he needed absolute silence. Though, Miranda, your jab at him crawling through the ducts of the ship nearly caused him to speed up too soon, and he..."

"Wait..." the asari cuts the AI off mid sentence, "you are speaking in past tense. Does that mean..."

"If you are asking if it means that Commander Shepard is aboard the Normandy,then yes, she is. She is on the bridge as we speak. If you wish to speak with her, Dr. T'Soni, I suggest meeting her now before she has a chance to check her messages. Admiral Hackett has been notified of the situation on Aratoht, plus the impending destruction of the Alpha relay and is more than likely attempting to set a course for our location once he hears from the commander and, more importantly, once we find a proper destination."

Nodding her head quickly, though she does not know if the AI can actually see her response, Liara swiftly enters the elevator and taps the console to select the CIC. "Goddess, please let her be all right,"the asari murmurs to herself as she waits for the slow moving elevator to arrive at her destination. 'One would think after upgrading nearly everything on the Normandy, Cerberus would have increased the speed of the elevator,' she groans inwardly as she waits through the snail's pace ride in the elevator.

After what felt like an eternity, the door to the elevator slides open to reveal the CIC. Walking slowly, as to maintain a calm collected aura about her, Liara heads towards the bow of the ship in search of Shepard. The asari lets out a sigh when she sees the woman she has been searching for, bent slightly forward, peering over Joker's shoulder her short red hair matted to her head. 'Even from behind she looks as though she is tired and possibly dehydrated,' Liara thinks to herself as she clears her throat to gain her lover's attention.

Turning around towards the sound, Jaelyn lets a weary but genuine smile rest on her face, "Liara," she simply says as the asari closes the distance and pulls the human into a warm embrace. "What are you doing here? Not that I mind, at all, I am just surprised."

"Not as surprised as I was when I heard you were on Aratoht," the Shadow Broker chides as she ends the embrace. "Jaelyn, what were you doing out here in batarian space? I have been so worried for your safety and the fact that you did not take a squad with you... and you did not let anyone know why you went there... and... just how could you?" Liara shakes her head then touches her hand to her forehead. "I swear, you will one day drive me insane."

"Uh... I do not want to intrude on such a happy reunion, but you wanted me to inform you when we have cleared the mass relay. We dropped out of FTL and have linked to a comm buoy. Just waiting for your word to send the report to Hackett, Commander."

"Send it, Joker," smirking at the flustered asari, Shepard wraps her arm around Liara's waist. "Come. Let's go to my cabin and I can tell you what happened. I know Admiral Hackett will want to meet with me soon, so I might as well bring you up to speed before he comes."

Walking through the CIC, the couple slow their steps as the Commander pauses to take a look at the Galaxy Map in the centre of the room. Liara feels the warmth of Jaelyn's body leave her side as she moves towards the ramp for a better look at the map. The asari soon follows when she sees the human stumble slightly. "Jaelyn..."

"I'm fine, Liara. I just need to see this," Shepard says as she grips the railing and peers over the edge for a closer look at the virtual map in front of her.

Looking over the Commander's shoulder, the Shadow Broker watches as the blip that was once the Bahak system flicker out of existence.

"There were over 300,000 civilians on Aratoht. Men, women, and children. All civilians. I tried to send out a warning, but there was just too much interference and not enough time." Jaelyn turns towards Liara with tears threatening to fall from her eyes, "I'm not a bad person, Liara... I promise I'm not. I really wanted to help them, no matter what anyone else would say or think. All those people..."

A lump forms in the asari's throat when she hears the pain in her lover's voice. "Oh Goddess. Jaelyn, I know you are not a bad person, why would you say such a thing?" Wrapping an arm around the human, Liara slowly leads her down the ramp and towards the elevator. "Come, let's take you up to your cabin where you can rest."

Rubbing a hand over her eyes, Jaelyn tries to fight back the onslaught of tears that try to run down her face. "I don't need to rest... I just need to contact Hackett."

Liara stares Shepard and notices the telltale sign of exhaustion coupled with what could possibly be dehydration. "On second thought, I think you need to see Doctor Chakwas. Besides, Joker has already sent the mission update to Hackett, so he will already know what has happened and probably is already on his way to meet us. You can take that time to rest and have Karin examine you for any internal injuries... maybe set you up with an IV."

Shepard stares at her lover, eyes widening in alarm. "But..."

"No but's Jaelyn," Liara says with a slight smirk. "Doctor's orders."

Jaelyn groans as the door to the elevator opens causing the asari to laugh as she ushers the Commander into the lift. "I think I regret being happy about you being here, Liara. I forgot how concerned you can be about my well-being."

"Well then Commander, you should not have made that comment about all the 'little blue children' you have foreseen in our future. I am only looking out for the safety of their father," Liara replies as the doors close behind them. Staring up into the bright green eyes of her lover, the Shadow Broker lets a smile grace her lips as the thought of having children with the woman in front of her crosses her mind. Liara knows that it would be years from now before they could possibly think about having children, with the threat of the Reapers in the forefront of her mind, the asari is in no rush to bring any child into that sort of life. 'Maybe when all of this is over we will be able to have our dreams of children realised.' Liara thinks to herself as she continues to stare into Jaelyn's eyes.

"What are you so happy about?" Jaelyn asks with a smirk.

"Nothing."

"Are you sure?

"Well, there are a few things that make me happy," Liara replies with a smile.

"And they are?"

"Well, for one," the asari smiles as she closes the distance between them. "You." She kisses the human on the side of her mouth. "Two, that you are safe from whatever mission you had came back from. When Miranda sent a message to my ship about where you went, I had to race here leaving Feron at Hagalaz to keep tabs on everything." She sighs as she nestles closer to the Commander. "I was so worried when I got here and you still weren't back on the ship. All these images from two years ago plagued my mind and I couldn't stop them. I just..."

Jaelyn wraps her arms tightly around the asari and pulls her even closer. "It's okay, Liara. I am here. Nothing happened to me."

The information broker looks up into the human's tired eyes and narrows her own. "What is that interesting phrase you human's use? I see bullshit?"

Jaelyn laughs at the asari's words. "I think you meant, I smell bullshit."

"Close enough," the asari murmurs as a blush tinges her blue skin. "Anyway, I know you are lying, Shepard. You wouldn't be dehydrated and this tired if you were not injured. What happened?"

"Hackett sent me on a mission. A covert operation to save a friend of his. It all went south when I found out that his friend and her group had been indoctrinated by a Reaper device. At first, I think they were trying to research the thing, but..."

"It infected them and they attacked you?" Liara asks as she runs her hand over Jaelyn's shoulder and shivers.

"I nearly defeated them all too," Jaelyn continues as she stares at nothing. "Wave after wave of soldiers came after me. I killed them all, but didn't see one of her assistants come up behind me until I felt the needle enter my neck. I was kept unconscious until earlier today. By that time, the relay was nearly open for the Reapers to come through and I couldn't allow that to happen. Can you imagine how people would have perished if I didn't do what I did to save them all?"

"You did the right thing, Jaelyn," Liara murmurs against the human's neck as she offers as much comfort as she can to her lover. "No one can blame you for what you did."

Jaelyn scoffs and tries to hide the tears that are forming in the corners of her eyes. "Yes they will. They will blame me for attempting mass genocide of the batarian race! Can you imagine the political backlash that will occur from my actions today?"

The door to the elevator opens with a whoosh and the two women walk out. "They can't possibly do that to you, can they?" Liara asks as she leads the Commander towards the med bay.

"You know they can and they will, Liara," the human says with a sigh. "The Council does not believe that the Reapers are coming. They think all of it was the work of Cerberus and I am barely recognised with the Alliance because of my death two years ago and because I joined forces with The Illusive Man to stop the Collectors. Even though they can try to spin it to sound as though I had joined Cerberus just to bring it down, they can do nothing with this. Everyone knows my past with batarians. I will be lucky if they don't hand me over to the Hegemony, or whatever is left of it, on a silver platter."

Liara sighs as she takes everything the human had said in. 'She's right,' she states to herself as she presses the button to open the door to Karin Chakwas's office. 'What was Hackett thinking?' The asari tries to shake the feeling of doom out of her mind as she smiles at the doctor that stood from her chair upon their entry.

"You're back, Shepard!" Karin exclaims with a smile as she looks at the Commander. "You look like hell, but you are back. We were all so worried about you while you were gone."

"Well, what sort of mission would it have been if I didn't have to end up in your office, Karin?" Jaelyn jokes as she leans heavily against Liara.

"She's dehydrated," the asari states as she helps Jaelyn onto the bed. "From what she told me, they kept her sedated for a few days, so we may have to run tests to see what exactly they used on her."

Karin frowns as she thoughtfully rubs her chin. "It would have to be something strong enough to counteract her cybernetics. Maybe an IV?"

Liara shakes her head. "There isn't a mark for a needle in either of her arms. Maybe a dermal patch?"

"You two realise that I am right here in front of you, right?" Jaelyn comments as she looks at the two women huddling over her. "If you want to know, just ask me. I was there, so I think I should know."

"Well, what was it?" Dr. Chakwas asks as she looks pointedly at the Commander.

Shepard rubs her neck sheepishly as she glances between the concerned faces above her. "Well, honestly?" She grimaces as she tries to think back. "I just remember being stuck with a needle in my neck when that assistant, or whoever it was, snuck up behind me."

Karin rolls her eyes as a smirk crosses her lips. "The all-powerful Commander Shepard brought down by a syringe." She laughs at her own joke, but quickly sobers. "We need to do a couple of blood tests to see what exactly they used to sedate you for such a long period of time, then we will be able to treat you properly. For now you will need plenty of bed rest and I will set you up with an IV to help combat your dehydration."

"But, Admiral Hackett wanted me to report to him once my mission was completed," Shepard protests as she tries to get to a sitting position.

"I told you before, Jaelyn," Liara admonishes softly as she gently pushes her lover back down onto the bed. "Doctor's orders."

"You should adhere to them too, Dr. T'Soni," Dr. Chakwas states as she moves back towards the couple with the implements she needed.

"What do you mean, Karin?"

"I mean, when I put the Commander on bed rest. She is to remain on bed rest. That means no physical activity. The type that happens in a bed or otherwise," the human doctor replies without a smile on her face, but the asari could see the amusement in the doctor's eyes.

Liara blushes profusely as she lowers her head and mumbles out a quick, "I don't know what you are talking about."

Karin laughs loudly at the asari as she shakes her head. "I may be old, my dear, but I do know what goes on in this ship! And I knew what happened on the old Normandy too!" She puts her index finger on her chin and taps. "I seem to recall something about Ilos and nearly every night afterwards and I do believe something started back up a little over a month ago."

Both the Commander and the information broker were blushing by the time in the doctor was finished causing the older human to laugh again. "Don't tell me that you two thought it was all a secret?" Karin asks after she calmed down again.

"What is a secret," a man's voice says after the door opens.

"Admiral Hackett!" Shepard exclaims as she tries to scramble from the bed and salute the higher ranked officer.

"At ease, Shepard," he says with a soft smile that made the woman relax back onto the hospital cot. "I head from Ms. Lawson that you were taken to the med bay for an examination. Is everything okay?" Hackett asks as he eyes Dr. Chakwas.

"We were just about to start the exam, sir," she replies. "Our patient seems a little worse for wear, but nothing too damaging to decommission her."

The Admiral snorts at the doctor's response. "I would hope not, Karin," the older man says with a smile, but turns serious when he glances back at Jaelyn. "What the hell happen, Shepard? When I received your report from Joker, I couldn't believe my eyes; so I got here as fast as I could."

The Spectre takes a deep breath and tries to swallow the lump that formed in her throat. "Dr. Kenson was compromised," she utters simply as she attempts to look the older man in the eyes without flinching.

"Compromised? How?"

"Reaper tech, sir," Jaelyn furthers as she steels herself for the conversation. "Dr. Kenson and her group in the Bahak system had found a device that was Reaper in origin and began to study it to be able to understand them."

He nods his head, "She had told me as much in her reports to me earlier before she had went M.I.A. That still doesn't tell me how they were compromised. Was it the batarians?"

"No, sir," she replies as Dr. Chakwas goes about inserting the IV into her arm. "The device, which was supposedly defunct, reactivated and indoctrinated all of the crew and Dr. Kenson."
"But her last transmission mentioned the batarians."

"Oh, she had been captured, but her reason for wanting to get away from them was to use the device to activate the Alpha Relay and allow the Reapers to enter since we had taken away there chance two years ago."

"And Aratoht? Was there a reason that would cause me to have to deal with the Hegemony breathing down the Alliance's neck? Shepard, I don't know what to tell you. I mean, whatever you say, I will believe it. I have known you for years and you are an excellent soldier. I know, whatever the reason, you made the right choice. You wouldn't put anyone's life in danger unless it was absolutely necessary; but I am not the person you need to convince." He looks at Liara and Dr. Chakwas, who had been listening in the whole time, and sighs. "I know I can't keep it from these two and besides, I know they won't break doctor/patient confidentiality; even if Liara is not a medical doctor. So I am going to be honest with you Shepard, the Alliance wants you back on Earth Pronto. I am to bring you to Vancouver to meet with the Council once you are deemed fit to travel to Earth that is."

"Since you are being so forthright with me, sir," Jaelyn states as she sits up in the bed with a groan. The more she sat there, resting as she was, the more her body began to protest at any movement. 'Maybe I was injured more than I thought I was,' she thinks to herself with a grimace. "May I ask the reason why they wish for me to report to Vancouver?"
Hackett clasps his hands behind his back. "I'm not going to paint you a pretty picture, like some politician back on the Citadel would... As I told you before, the Hegemony has sniffed blood in the water with this SNAFU and... well,..."

"I'm the sacrificial lamb," Jaelyn spits out with a huff. "Am I going to at least have a trial or sent straight to slaughter?"

"Wait, what?" Liara asks suddenly as realisation hits her. "You are not telling us that the Alliance is really going to cater to the batarians, are they? I thought Jaelyn was being a bit over-dramatic when she said this is probably what would happen."

"Well, Dr. T'Soni," Hackett replies as he shuffles his feet, breaking his normal parade rest stance. "I wouldn't necessarily say they are catering to the Hegemony, but they are going to hold a trial to see what actually happened. It isn't everyday that over three hundred thousand people die because an asteroid barrels right into their mass relay. There are a lot of questions surrounding the incident and the Systems Alliance..."

The asari crosses her arms in front of her and leans against the hospital bed. "They are covering their asses is what they are doing. Are they going to tell the Hegemony that they had an active agent within the Bahak systems? An action, if I might mention in case you forgot, is banned by the Galactic Council. No Council race is supposed to have any agents, active or not, within the Bahak systems. Also, are they going to tell the Hegemony that all those people plus countless others would have died anyway if Jaelyn did not stop the Reapers from coming through the Alpha relay?"

"I seriously doubt they will let the Hegemony know all of that, but even the Alliance isn't too keen on the idea of Reapers."

"So," Liara starts as she looks at the older male human. "How exactly are they going to not cater to the bloodbath that the Hegemony is likely wanting, at Shepard's expense I might add, after such a disaster. Everyone knows Jaelyn's history with batarians and they are simply going to use it as a way to try to curry favour with the Galactic Council. They will tell them Council members that the humans tried to cut them off from the rest of the galaxies by destroying the Alpha relay as well as conduct a mass genocide on their people."

The man sighs and lifts his hat from his head to run his hand through his buzzed hair. "I know it sounds like we are running this whole thing on a wing and a prayer, but I have faith that we will pull through this. Something is bound to happen that will cause everyone to see reason." He looks at the three women in front of him and tugs at his jacket cuff, causing the brass buttons on it to gleam in the light. "Well, I will let you get on with the examination. Just let me know when the Commander will be ready for her trip to Earth."

The women watch as Admiral Hackett leaves the room. As soon as the door closes behind him, Dr. Chakwas stretches her arms over her head and lets out an exaggerated yawn. "Well, it will take some time for the blood work to run. Let's say I come back within a couple of hours? I think a little nap would do wonders for me right about now." She walks across the room and out the door, leaving Shepard and Liara alone in the med bay.

"She never drew my blood for a blood test," Jaelyn says with a smirk as she settles comfortably onto the hard hospital cot.

Liara smiles as she lays her hand on the human's. Their fingers instantly interlace with one another. "I believe Karin is a bit tired these days," the asari murmurs as sits down on the edge of the bed and stares at Jaelyn. Her eyes mist over as she recalls the conversation that had played out with the Admiral. "I don't want to lose you again," she whispers as a rogue tear drips down her cheek. "I just found you and I feel as though I will lose you again."

Jaelyn detaches her hand from the information broker's and softly cups her face between her hands. Wiping the tears that continuously fall from the asari's eyes, the Spectre sighs and brings their foreheads together. "Liara, you will never lose me."

"But, they want to take you back to Earth. They are on a witch hunt because they need someone to place all the blame on and they are choosing you. They should be celebrating your name, but they want to crucify you instead."

The Commander chuckles slightly, but Liara could hear the tears trying to choke their way out. "Where did you learn all these human-like phrases?" The Shadow Broker tries to laugh, but all that comes out is a racking sob. Shepard pulls her closer to the point where Liara is nearly sitting in the human's lap. "It's okay, my love," Jaelyn whispers softly as she runs her hand over the asari's shoulder. "I promise you that I will come back to you. Don't I always come back?" Liara nods her head and tries to calm her tears as the soldier holds her tightly to her chest. "I promise you that once this is all over, we will have all that I mentioned before. The kids. The house. Maybe even a pet?" The last sentence Shepard adds hopefully causing Liara to laugh.

"We'll think about the pet, Jaelyn," Liara mutters as she runs her hand over the human's taut stomach. "I don't think this is what Karin meant by bed rest."

"Mmm," Jaelyn hums in agreement as leans back against the pillows. "But I believe that this is the most comfortable I have been in over a month," she continues with a smile as Liara moves off her lap and settles down next to her. "Promise you will stay here with me until Hackett takes me away."

"I promise," Liara replies as she wraps an arm around Jaelyn's waist.

The human yawns and closes her eyes and struggles to open them. "Do you think that Dr. Chakwas sedated me again? I feel like I can barely keep my eyes open any more."

"I think the adrenaline rush has worn off. You are completely exhausted from the whole mission. You should probably take a nap like Karin said she was going to do."

Jaelyn nods her head slowly. "I think that might be a good idea. Will you stay with me even if I fall asleep?"

"Of course, Jaelyn," Liara whispers as she watches Shepard's eyes close again. 'I will never leave you alone again,' she thinks to herself as she tightens her grip on the Commander's waist. 'Even when you go back to Earth, I will find a way to be back with you. That I can promise.'