A/N: You're off in the AU now, sonny. Here, thar be fluff!

It feels good to be writing again. Despite Bioware's insistence that ME3 was the end of Shepard's story, I have persisted. Consider it a separation based on creative differences.

Liara leaned casually against the bar and gazed around the lobby of the concert hall with a soft smile. She reached down and smoothed out the folds of her new dress, all silvery and shimmering, the kind Alice always enjoyed.

"Nineteen years old… that's like an zygote in asari years…" remarked a young woman to her companion. "And already she's got a solo performance in the third movement…"

Liara's eyebrows perked up at the comment. She turned to see a young human couple who had saddled up next to her in the bar. The woman was engrossed in the program for the evening's event.

"Vodka martini, and a Thessian Sunrise," the young well-dressed man called out after the salarian bartender who zipped past. He turned his back to Liara, facing his companion. "Well what do you expect with a pedigree like hers? She could pretty much run for president of the galaxy and stand a decent chance."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at the name…" he said, tapping the small printout.

The woman peered down at her program. "Alissondra T'Soni." Her eyebrows furrowed. She tapped the program against her lips in thought. "T'Soni… why does that sound familiar?"

"Are you serious?" the man scoffed.

"What?" she asked, looking hurt.

"That's Shepard's daughter."

"Shepard…" Her eyes widened in recognition. "You mean-"

"Commander...? Alice...? Shepard...? Hero of the Reaper war? Battle of the Citadel-"

"I know who Shepard is…" she snapped. "I just didn't realize she'd had an asari daughter…"

"Yes, well, she tries to keep her personal life private. And most of the human-centric drek you read is more than happy to overlook the fact that she married an asari."

"It's not drek," she sneered. "It's just more… relevant. To me. As a human." She peered off into the lobby. "It's just strange…"

"Why? Humans and asari become bondmates all the-"

"Not that," she spat. "I mean it's strange that she's a dancer when her mother-"

"Father," he corrected.

"What?"

"The asari who gave birth is the 'mother.' The partner who contributed their genetic code is considered the 'father'. Even if it's another asari, or a female of another race."

The woman rolled her eyes and shushed her companion with a hand wave. "Whatever… I mean it's strange that she's a dancer when her 'father'," she emphasized with air-quotes, "is a big-time war hero. I mean don't you think that's strange? For her to be doing something that's so far removed from anything that made Shepard famous?"

Liara smiled as she listened in on the couple. The salarian returned with her drinks and waved her off when she tried to pay. She scooped up both delicate glasses and turned to go, leaning in towards the couple with a smile. "We wouldn't have had it any other way."

"Who was that?" she heard the man wonder aloud as she turned to go find Alice.

Liara wove her way through the meandering guests. They seemed far too engrossed in their conversations with each other to take notice of their surroundings, but Liara drank it all in. Tall, extravagant columns rose up three stories to a meticulously painted ceiling. Long, delicate crystalline chandeliers were suspended in mid-air by mass effect fields, casting glittering light around the room. Grand, sweeping staircases wrapped in elegant burgundy carpeting criss-crossed their way before the swooping archway over the entrance. The majesty of the construction was rendered all the more impressive by how quickly it had risen from the wreckage of what had come before it. The Reaper War had sundered most major cities across the galaxy, leaving little more than rubble. For the first few years afterwards, the rebuilding efforts had had the obvious foci. Hospitals. Shelters. Food banks. Needs. With the help of the non-council races, commerce began to bloom. Business centers and technology and industry lent themselves to the rebuilding process, attracting more money to the cities and more importantly, providing purpose beyond mere survival to the inhabitants of the recovering societies. Shortly thereafter, culture was reborn.

Museums. Theaters. Concert halls such as the one she was standing in. The return of the unnecessary. It was the truest sign of recovery. The old megalopolises of the major worlds wanted to demonstrate, both to their own citizens and the galaxy at large, that life there was returning to normal. After nearly thirty years, the evidence of the war had not been wiped clean from the streets, but had been pushed far enough aside that people could at least afford to pretend for a while.

Alice was easy enough to spot, standing alone at one of the tall cocktail tables, crimson hair done up in an elegant bun. Her long aubergine gown hugged her frame in pleasant ways. Her physique had softened somewhat in the past few decades Muscles honed and hardened over a decade of military service had grown sleek and lean with a life making fewer demands. It would have been easy to imagine that she had grown lax in her life away from the trials of combat, but she was still powerful and fit as ever. She leaned casually against the table with a wistful look in her eyes, shifting her weight from foot to foot, fidgeting incessantly with a crisp, white cocktail napkin.

Liara smiled. "You know," she mused. "If I didn't know you any better, I would say you looked uncomfortable in that dress."

Alice straightened up and beamed at Liara as she approached. She placed a hand on her hip. One eyebrow raised up, and her hip cocked out to one side. "Hey, I may not wear getups like this very often, but I know when I am pulling off a dress. And I am pulling off this dress!"

Liara smiled softly, setting down Alice's glass before her. Her gaze meandered up and down the long slit in the gown which exposed Alice's well-muscled thigh. "Indeed you are…"

A roguish expression crossed Alice's face. She licked her lips and moved towards Liara, dragging a fingertip up Liara's hip. "Speaking of pulling off dresses…" Alice purred, lips parting in a devious grin.

Liara barely hid the smile that found its way to her lips. She grasped Alice's hand, gently removing it from her body. "No," she stated flatly. "It's not appropriate here."

Alice's eyes narrowed. "I seem to remember you not having any problems with certain other inappropriate locales…"

Liara felt her face grow flush as the memories of past dalliances wormed their way into her mind. She steeled herself, pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind, perhaps for after the performance. She gave Alice's hand a conciliatory squeeze. "We're here for Alissondra."

The mention of her daughter's name sobered Alice up quickly. She straightened her back and dropped her gaze to the table, nodding slightly. She took a sip from her drink and blew out a soft sigh, slowly looking around at the meandering idle crowd. Several moments of silence passed. "These aren't my people."

Liara took a long sip of her own drink, letting the smooth, cool liquor rest on her tongue for several moments before swallowing. "I know…" she quietly offered. "And I'm sorry." She hated seeing Alice like this. Uncomfortable. Out of place. The great Alice Shepard had never been one for "polite" society and "rose garden" talk, preferring more casual, intimate, or as she might say "real" situations. When their daughter began showing an interest in classical dances – ballet, janirissia, sihu'un – she and Alice sought to feed that interest with high culture events like symphonies, performances, and the like. Along with those came the inevitable gatherings of like-minded people. The societal elite. Being the daughter of a matriarch, Liara had been exposed to all the trappings of polite society from an early age. And while that lifestyle did not fit her much better than it did Alice, she was at least able to pretend with some degree of success.

Alice, for her part, had tried to make the transition gracefully. She attended the multitude of dinner parties and charity events, politely listening to the inane prattle of people who looked like they had never gotten their hands dirty in their lives. She had never been able to fully embrace or understand any of it, but it had never stopped her from making the attempts.

"But these are your daughter's people," Liara reminded Alice.

Alice barely managed to keep the disappointment from showing on her face. She blew out another sigh. "I know…" She tilted her head to the side and gave Liara a crooked, self-deprecating smile. "And most of the time it's not that ba-" She stiffened suddenly. "Oh fuck me…"

"What?"

Alice peered over Liara's shoulder, recoiling at the sight. "Aw shit… he saw me."

Liara half turned when she heard a man's voice call out.

"Ambassador!"

Liara suddenly felt as if a great weight were pressing down on her chest. Turning slightly, her fears were confirmed as Councilor Alexander Dalvik and his impossibly blonde wife made their way towards Liara and Alice. The fifth human Councilor was pompous, but he had at least been genuine, and thus far successful, in his endeavors to build and maintain relationships with the other races. Unfortunately, one of his key strategies for doing so had been to try and get Alice to accept the position of ambassador to the asari. As "humanity's greatest hero" and the bondmate of an asari, he had believed Alice would be a natural fit as humanity's representative to the asari.

Alice disagreed. "I believe I've already turned down that offer ten or twelve times, Councilor," she said, looking anywhere but directly at him.

Liara swallowed hard and maneuvered next to her bondmate, placing a steadying hand on the small of Alice's back, hoping to prevent a scene.

"Well, hope springs eternal, Admiral Shep-"

"And as I've said before," Alice interrupted, finally turning to meet Councilor Dalvik's gaze. "The promotion to Admiral was ceremonial. I had already retired a Commander when the Alliance gave me the promotion. And I intend to stay retired."

"Of course, Shepard," he said, raising hands in defeat. "And none have earned a reprieve more than the two of you. I just think you deserve every ounce of recognition for all your efforts and sacrifices-"

"Mine weren't the only sacrifices made, Councilor," Alice interrupted again. "Just because you know my name doesn't make the-"

"Of course, of course, Shepard," Dalvik said. "Speaking of knowing your name, though, there's someone who I would love to introduce to you. If you'll excuse me." He offered a slight bow and stepped away from the table.

Alice huffed and took a sip from her drink. "What?" she asked with a shrug when she noticed Liara's unamused expression. "I don't like politics."

"Politics is not altogether different from what you had to do in the war, Shepard," Mrs. Dalvik offered. "Influencing others, convincing them of the right path. It's ultimately legislation instead of warfare. Though some would argue there are similarities. Of course, someone with your charisma and-"

Alice leveled a withering glare at the Councilor's wife, who made a small strangled sound as her sentence was abruptly cut short. Liara sharply pinched a bit of Alice's waist between her fingertips, eliciting a small yelp from her bondmate.

The Councilor's wife shifted meekly and quickly turned to face Liara. "S-so… Dr. T'Soni, how are things with you?"

"Quite well, thank you, Claudia," Liara offered, taking a small draft of her drink. "And how is your asari mistress treating you?"

Alice snorted out a laugh into her own drink as the Councilor's wife's face went ashen. A slight whimper escaped her lips.

"Well, I hope?" Liara added.

"I sh… I should," she sputtered. Spinning in place, she hastily beat a path away from the table, desperately avoiding eye contact with anyone whose path she crossed.

Alice laughed aloud, clapping her hands together. "Oh, Goddess I love you!" She beamed happily at Liara. "You know, if that's what politics is I might have to rethink this whole thing!"

Liara raised an eyebrow with a wry smile. "Is that so? Well you had better rethink quickly, because it appears the Councilor is returning with a bit of an entourage for you." She gestured over Alice's shoulder and took another sip from her glass.

In one movement, Alice turned, stiffened at the sight of the approaching group of politicians, and spun back around to Liara with a worried expression on her face. "Help me…" she whimpered.

Liara set her glass on the table. "Come," she beckoned to Alice. "It's almost curtain call anyway."

The two quietly made their way, arm in arm, up one of the swooping staircases to their private box. As they neared the top, Liara leaned in slightly. "I know you're not uncomfortable in that dress…"

Alice chuckled. "If you're looking to get me out of it before the show, I think that ship has sailed."

"And you've been deflecting politicians for the better part of three decades…"

Alice opened her mouth to speak, but stopped short.

"So what's really bothering you?" Liara softly asked.

Alice seemed to deflate slightly. They turned the corner at the top of the stairs and she silently looked out over the balcony to the crowd below. "These aren't my people…"

Liara placed a hand on the small of Alice's back as they continued walking, giving Alice the time to finish her thought.

"But they are Alissondra's…" Alice added with a sigh.

Liara nodded patiently.

They continued in silence to their private box overlooking the stage. Taking their seats, they watched the crowd slowly filter in to their seats below. Alice blew out a sigh. "I feel like I'm losing her, Liara…"

Liara frowned slightly, glancing over to Alice whose face looked very drawn.

"I just…" Alice continued. "When she was little I could just pick her up over my head and we could roughhouse together or go running... We could watch vids or go swimming or... It was... easy. We just seemed to… And now she's got all this other stuff that she likes with the dancing and-"

"You love to dance, Alice," Liara offered, taking Alice's hand in her own.

Alice shook her head slightly. "No, I love to go to clubs with bass-heavy music. I love having a few drinks and losing myself on the dance floor with a hundred other people surrounding me. This…" she gestured at the concert hall. "I dunno… She tries telling me about the different positions and the movements and 'oh, listen to how so-and-so's eleventh whatever lends itself to…'" Alice sighed again. "I just don't get it. I don't even like the people who do get it."

"Well, it certainly doesn't help that we haven't had the opportunity to see her perform before tonight."

"Yeah, but, Liara… if I can't get it… How am I supposed to be a part of her life? What the hell am I gonna do?"

Liara's expression softened. She gently patted Alice's hand. "I think you're doing it right now."

Alice's shoulders slumped, but a small smile crossed her face. "I guess I just thought I'd have my little girl a while longer, you know? I thought you asari were supposed to age slower than humans? What's the deal with that, T'Soni?" She gently elbowed Liara.

Liara wrapped her arm around Alice's, intertwining their fingers. "Well, she is half-human."

Alice's lips curled in a grin as she nuzzled against Liara. "I thought it didn't work that way, miss 'I'm not a quarter krogan'?"

The first performance had been rather standard, Liara noted. A 'classic' whose purpose was little more to than whet the appetite of the audience for more interesting and engaging pieces later on. The second had been a… rather interesting interpretation of an asari janiris celebration dance. Perhaps the stark contrast between the choreography and the atonality of the music had been meant to be thought-provoking on some level.

Liara occasionally stole a glance at Alice. Her bondmate had earned something of a reputation in their family for nodding off during symphonies and dance recitals. Bored though she seemed – gazing through half-open eyelidss at the orchestra and audience almost as often as the performers – Alice remained awake. She caught Liara peeking and offered a wan smile in response.

Liara settled herself in her seat as the third performance began. A spotlight shone on a tall, striking turian female who appeared out of fog which had been piped onto the stage. She began to move, swaying and swirling her simple dress to music which had yet to begin. It was scarcely missed. The intensity behind her movements and the rarity of seeing a turian premier evoked powerful emotions in the silence that dominated the concert hall. Soon, the spotlight dissipated. Softer ambient light arose, revealing that the fog had been lifted. The orchestra began a slow melody as the premier pranced about the stage.

Liara spotted Alissondra among the young dancers, asari and human, who made their way to the stage. Alice jostled in her seat, tapping Liara's thigh and excitedly pointing at their daughter. Liara clasped Alice's arm and smiled. She beamed with pride at her daughter. Alissondra was a vision of beauty. So slender, younger by far than the other asari dancers. Perhaps even younger than many of the humans. The dancers flowed in perfect choreography, each slightly off-sync with the other, giving the impression that the movement flowed from one to the next, creating waves of satin and silk as they swayed and spun and kicked. The music evoked lyrical imagery of springtime and love and tranquility.

Liara held her breath as her daughter's solo performance began. The rest of the dancers began to disperse, leaving Alissondra alone on the stage. The orchestra slowly died down save for a lone flute, which held a single gently fluttering note. To Liara, the sound was as though the goddess herself were speaking through music. Butterflies swirled in her stomach as she watched her daughter move, wrapping herself in the tone emanating from the flute. A wide smile spread across Liara's lips at the sight of the sheer joy displayed on her daughter's face. Alissondra had completely given herself over to the dance. Her body seemed to summon forth the music around her, beckoning it to join her in her reverie.

Liara stole another glance at Alice and stifled a gasp. Alice's face was moist with tears. Her expression was caught in a moment of wonder. She followed her daughter's movements on stage, lips parted slightly as though she were whispering something. Liara's heart fluttered. She snaked her hand over Alice's, who shuddered with a quiet sob and gripped Liara's hand tightly. She clutched her other hand to her chest as her quivering lips tried to form words that would not come. Liara could only smile.

Liara shifted the bouquet of lilies and peered over the shoulders of the other patrons, hoping to catch her daughter's eye as she greeted the adoring crowd. As if on cue, Alissondra looked up and caught her mother's gaze. Her face broke into a wide, giddy smile and she waved heartily. She quickly finished saying her thanks to the revelers she had been shaking hands with and made her way towards Liara.

She threw her arms around her mother. "Hey, mom!"

Liara hugged her daughter tight against her. "Oh honey, you were enchanting!"

Alissondra huffed an exhausted laugh, face radiating with joy. "Thanks!" She accepted the bouquet, burying her face in the petals and inhaling deeply. She smiled a crooked smile, reminding Liara just how much she was Alice's daughter. "Where's dad? Did she manage to stay awake the whole time?"

Liara opened her mouth but resisted the urge to say anything, turning instead to see Alice returning from the restroom, face splotchy and red, dabbing at the ruined makeup around her tear-stained eyes with a napkin.

"Dad?" Alissondra gasped, growing immediately concerned. "Dad? What's wr-" She was cut off when Alice slammed into her, enveloping her in a hug. "Dad?"

Alice held her daughter tight for several moments, trembling slightly. She turned her head and whispered something Liara couldn't make out into her daughter's ear. Liara saw Alissondra smile, then laugh, then blink back tears as she listened to her father's words. She buried her face in Alice's neck, shoulders shuddering with quiet sobs of laughter. Alice breathed a deep sigh and gently stroked Alissondra's cheek. She kissed the top of her daughter's head, tears streaming down her face.

Liara felt tears forming in her eyes as she watched the two loves of her life embrace, sharing the connection that they had both worried had been fading or altogether lost. Liara knew that Alice might never fully comprehend what it was that Alissondra did or why she did it, but she knew that the two at least understood each other. And at least for the time being, that would be enough to bridge the gap between their two worlds.