Liara finds her after the mission down in the shuttle bay, wailing on a punching bag that James had bought on the Citadel. Drenched in sweat, Liara could only guess how long Shepard had been trying to destroy the bag. James looked up from his workbench and motioned Liara over.

When she got close to the soldier, Liara noticed that James was nursing a bloody and possibly broken nose. "The Commander seems really worked up about what happened on Tuchanka," James grunted as he sniffed, wiping at his face with a spare towel.

"Mordin was a good friend," Liara explained as she turned to watch Shepard. She was starting to get tired, her punches landing less frequently. "How long has she been like this?"

James shrugged his massive shoulders. "Practically since everyone came back. Took her armor off after decon and came back out here."

Liara had been observing James's expression, well his nose to see if it was really broken; but she whipped her head around to watch Shepard again with a slight gasp. "That was over an hour ago!"

"Yeah, she and I danced for 20 minutes of it." He sniffed hard and cursed, wiping his nose roughly and hissing as the bridge of his nose shifted. Definitely broken. "Didn't want to talk, just wanted to beat on something." He shrugged. "Or someone, heh."

Liara shook her head. "Go up to the Med Bay so the doctor can fix that for you. I'll talk to her."

James started to protest until a sharp and angry voice spoke up. "Med Bay Lieutenant, that's an order." Shepard stalked over and glared at James. She was shorter than James by a head but her presence always made her seem taller and James left without a backward glance. Any idiot would have seen than trying to lighten the mood was only going to get a pistol to the face, and his nose was already broken.

Shepard watched him leave, then barked an order for the rest of the crew to clear out. When the final crewman was in the lift and the doors shut behind them, Shepard slumped against the bulkhead smothering a scream behind her fist.

Knowing Shepard well enough, Liara hung back until Shepard looked up and her with tears in her eyes, one hand held out to her lover. Only then did the asari step forward and take Shepard's hand, walking into her almost desperate embrace.

Perhaps it was because Liara had melded their minds to stop Saren nearly four years prior, or because of their relationship; Liara was the only one that got to see the pure raw emotion that Shepard felt. Vega had only gotten a glimpse if it when they had sparred, he also understood how she felt better than most on the Normandy.

Liara held Shepard while she cried, though it ended sooner than she knew Shepard wanted to. Even in her off hours she wasn't really "off" as there always seemed to be something someone wanted her to do.

"Stupid Salarian," Shepard muttered into Liara's stomach. "Just had to go up into that stupid tower."

"It was his choice Shepard," Liara whispered. "No one could have predicted that Kalros and the Reaper would damage the Shroud so severely."

"He should have found a way to override it from the ground!" Shepard growled, her synthetic implants heating. They knew though that there wouldn't have been any other alternatives.

Liara stroked Shepard's head and bent to kiss the top of it, knowing that she was upset and venting. For all her bluster about soldier's being expendable, her squad was always important to her. Shepard had valued Mordin (and Liara thanks to her donations as the Shadow Broker) even more since he had saved Tali's life after she nearly died during the mission to the Collector's homeworld. Then there was of course the mission that had gotten him killed; the curing of the genophage and essentially saving the life, no less the entire species of one of her oldest allies and friends.

Wrex had promised Shepard that after the Shroud was extinguished he would go in and try to find Mordin's remains. It was an impossible task because the explosion had utterly decimated the surrounding area. But Shepard knew that it was the thought that counted.

"We can do something for him if you wish." Liara suggested, squeaking as Shepard pinched her ass.

"Bakara's already suggested erecting a statue in his honor." Shepard deflected.

"We can do something here, for the crew," Liara replied, tugging on a stray hair that had come out of Shepard's meticulously wrapped bun. "Perhaps put his name on the Memorial Wall."

Shepard started crying again, slowly this time. "When we dock at the Citadel I'll have a plaque made." Liara smiled and helped Shepard stand, her mouth soft as Shepard kissed her tenderly in thanks. As their kissing became passionate, Joker's voice "innocently" crackled over the comms.

"Uh Commander, I'm having trouble raising the Citadel. You might want to get up here."

"You spying again Joker?" Shepard teased, her voice not even betraying that she had been crying, giving Liara's waist a squeeze, not ready to let go just yet.

"Uh, no Ma'am, EDI just told me that you were finished working out."

"Sure, blame it on the AI," Liara got into the teasing as well, chuckling when Joker sputtered. Shepard winked at Liara and planted a peck on her cheek.

"ETA until we hit the Mass Relay for a jump Joker?" Shepard asked as she and Liara walked arm in arm towards the lift.

"About an hour Commander." EDI chimed in, a very slight hint of amusement in her tone. Joker's muttering in the background clued Shepard and Liara in that EDI had been giving him hell.

"I'll be on the bridge in an hour." She slid her hand down Liara's back and over her ass, grinning lewdly as she groped her lover.

"Aye aye Commander," Joker confirmed and the comms went silent.

As they stopped in the lift, Shepard took a deep breath and nearly gagged. "God, is that ME who smells so bad?"

Liara nodded, wrinkling her nose while she pantomimed wiping dirt off of her impeccable uniform. "Yes, and you got it all over me too." Liara shouted in mock protest as Shepard pinned her to the wall of the lift as it climbed to her cabin.

"Well we're just going to have to fix that aren't we?" There was a husky growl in Shepard's voice as she nipped at Liara's throat.

"G-Goddess," Liara stammered, eliciting another growl from Shepard. The doors of the lift opened and in a tangle of arms Shepard and Liara moved into the cabin, striping on the way to the bathroom and the showers.

Shepard smiled at Liara as she finished putting on her combat boots before standing. The sheets were tangled around her supple aqua form. Shepard had to muffle a laugh as Liara suddenly snorted in her sleep. Shepard stifled another giggle and smoothed her face into her normal serious demeanor.

"EDI, Tell Garrus and Javik to gear up and meet me in the shuttle bay," Shepard commanded as she went into the lift and tapped the button for the CIC.

"Right away Shepard," EDI replied as Shepard exited the lift and headed towards the bridge.

FIN