HEADS UP, THERE ARE SOME HUGE SPOILERS WITH THE DIALOGUE IN MEETING WITH LIARA

DISCLAIMER: I do not own MASS EFFECT 2 and am not gaining any profit from this story. All rights belong to BioWare.

A/N: I felt really sad at Liara and Fem!Shepard's meeting, but then there was the dialogue about how Shepard's body came into possession of Cerberus and it all made sense. I don't blame Liara and I still think she hasn't changed so much, inside I feel that she's still Ms. Prothean know-it-all. I have high hopes for Mass Effect 3, even if it is going to take a long time!

This is a kind of expanded version of what happens after you meet Liara and the hard-to-get dialogue afterwards explaining how she became so hardened and I want to believe that's the real Liara.

We Meet Again

"Have you faced an asari commando unit before?" Liara verbalized, and left a pragmatic pause, "Few humans have. I'll make this simple. Either you pay me, or I flay you alive." Liara's voice darkened, "With my mind." It was just after the holo-image disappeared she noticed someone from the corner of her eyes, Commander Jane Shepard.

"Shepard!" Liara turned around meeting Shepard's eyes for the first time in almost two years her own amazement at the woman standing in front of her equally reflected.

"Nyxeris, hold my calls." The purple asari in the corner bowed her head.

Shepard was stunned, this is Liara? Her sweet, innocent, Prothean-know-it-all, socially inept Liara?

Liara made the first move, a good thing as Shepard didn't know how to approach this. Thoughts were frantically running through her head, Did Liara move on? Has she changed so much? And—

"Shepard…"

All thoughts ceased when Liara took Shepard's hands in her own and their faces inched closer and closer together until their lips met in a soft kiss. For a while they just stood there, enjoying the feeling of being together. Unspoken words flew between them. It felt like such a long time since the night they first said they loved each other. It was bliss, meeting after two years and being able to feel their love was still strong, until Liara pulled away rather abruptly almost… ashamedly. Liara's face turned to the side and she let go of Shepard not willing to face her.

"Liara…?" Shepard was confused, and followed Liara to her desk.

"My sources said you were alive, but I never believed…" Liara's voice quietly trailed off and still didn't face Shepard.

"Liara, is something wrong?"

Liara ignored the question, turning her back to Shepard and hugging herself, and Shepard could see she was uncomfortable… and lonely. Perhaps even lonelier than she was two years ago on her Prothean digs.

"A lot has happened in the past two years."

Shepard moved to wrap her arms around Liara, "And you can't drop everything to join me on the Nromandy? I could help you."

Liara pulled herself away from Shepard, "I can't, I have commitments here. Things I need to take care of. It's been a long two years, I had things to do while you were gone and I have debts to repay. You want to know why I don't drop everything to join you?"

They spent the next few minutes catching up and telling each other what had happened, Liara remained distant. After all had been said there left an uncomfortable pause.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Listen, if you want to help, I need someone with hacking expertise…"

"What's the next step in your hunt?"

"Now, I gather information, peel away the layers of lies, and shine light into the shadows." Liara's eyes narrowed and her voice became husky with rage, "And when I find the Shadow Broker, I hit him with a biotic field so strong that what's left of his body will fit into a coffee cup."

Shepard reached out and gently touched Liara's face, "That anger can't be just from what you've told me." Liara flinched and moved away, turning her back to Shepard.

Quietly, almost in a whisper she replied, "Did Cerberus ever tell you how they recovered your body?" Liara didn't give Shepard time to answer before continuing, her head hung in shame "I gave it to them. I gave YOU to them, Shepard. Because they said they could rebuild you, and to do it I had to take your body from the Shadow Broker." Liara took a deep breath and her eyes were glistening with unshed tears, "He was going to sell your body to the Collectors."

"Why didn't you tell me about this before now?"

"Because I… screwed it up, Shepard. I barely escaped with my own life." Shepard reached out to Liara drawing their bodies closer and this time Liara didn't shy away, "When I gave you to Cerberus, I told myself I was doing it for you, for a chance to bring you back." Shepard didn't say a word and just hugged her knowing this was her Liara the real Liara she loved, and she continued speaking almost choking on the unshed tears, "I knew Cerberus would use you for their own business. And I let it happen, because… I couldn't let you go, I'm so sorry… I-I didn't want you to hate me."

Shepard closed her eyes and just wrapped her arms tighter around Liara, feeling their bodies pressed together and knowing what little time they had together before she had to leave Illium. Looking back now, they have both grown up so much.

"You did the right thing, Liara. I could never hate you for it." Shepard had simply brought her hand to her lips in a heartfelt kiss that only she knew what it meant. Love, gratitude and relief - the kiss might contain no words, but was her most earnest way of saying Thank you, for everything.

Shepard wiped away Liara's now freely falling tears and then intertwined their fingers, pulling Liara's head closer to hers with her free hand. In the past, their lips had always met in an urgent desire to make the most of what little time they had together and today was no different in terms of pressing time, but tonight though, they took their time to feel. The deep, wanting kisses of the past had given way to light, affectionate ones as they slowly explored each other.

Liara closed her eyes and took a deep breath knowing Shepard had to leave again. Half of her wanted Shepard to let her go because the longer she stayed in her arms, the harder it would be to let go. The other half wanted her to sweep Liara off her feet and never let her go, but rationality took hold and the importance of each of their missions took precedence over their love.

"Kiss me one last time," Shepard said. "And then we had better go our own ways."

Liara kissed her, a bittersweet kiss. Shepard knew they were both cursing The Shadow Broker, Cerberus, the Reapers, and whatever else might be separating them, inside their heads.

"I love you. I'll be waiting for you, so please come back."

Shepard smiled despite knowing she was on a suicide mission and expected to die, but Liara didn't need to know that, "I've already died once, I don't plan on dying again."

Tonight marked their first step towards a new chapter in their lives.

FINI

A/N: Please click little green button to tell me how I'm doing.