Preamble: This short story is a fanfic set after the second personal conversation you have with Liara in Mass Effect 1. It assumes that Liara was rescued first and Feros has just been freed from the Thorian. It carries on the story from what happened to this point in game as well as the events detailed in my previous short fanfic, Captivated, which I recommend you read before reading this although its not absolutely required.
These fanfics are intended to act as additions to the story as a way of further adding to the romance between Shepard and Liara but not to change its basis in any way. If you spot a major inconsistency with the rest of the story then feel free to point it out and I'll do some revisions. Enjoy!
Patience
"Don't tell me a little 'danger' puts you off," teased Naomi.
"This is all a bit overwhelming…I am not used to this…you…I need some time…" stammered a flustered Liara.
"Take all the time you need, Liara. I'll be here."
"Thank you, Shepard."
Naomi made for the door to leave, but turned back when she reached it to watch Liara for a moment. The asari had sat down in front of her computer again as if to work, but she was clearly distracted as she was simply staring at nothing. At that Naomi smiled.
"Don't work too hard, Liara." Liara jumped slightly as she realised that Naomi hadn't actually left yet and had noticed her daydreaming. She turned.
"Ah…um…yes, Commander. I mean no. I mean…ah…" Naomi laughed and in response Liara smiled and blushed a deep blue.
"I'm sorry, that was cruel of me," apologised Naomi, still grinning. "Was worth it to see you blush again, though." And with that she left Liara to her thoughts.
A few days later the Normandy was docked with the Citadel. Several samples from the Thorian had to be transferred safely to the Citadel authorities and the whole crew was required to undergo a thorough medical examination to ensure nobody had been affected. Not to mention the usual resupply requirements of the Normandy.
Liara stretched her arms as she strode along the docking bay leading back to the ship and nodded to the marine supervising supplies being loaded. He returned her nod with a salute. Naomi's dressing down of the soldier in engineering the previous week had passed through the crew quickly and he and a couple of his friends had quietly transferred to new assignments. There had still been a sense of unease among many of the remaining crew even though they trusted their Commander's decision but taking part in the mission to Feros had won her genuine respect and trust from most of them.
She felt good. The whole morning had been spent in medical undergoing a variety of tests, more than most crew members in fact. The mission report and what happened with Shiala, followed by Liara's merge with Naomi, had seen to that. She imagined that Naomi had gone through a similarly rigorous procedure. Now, however, she was free from the clutches of the C-Sec medics and was enjoying being able to just walk around after all that time stuck in a cramped examination room.
Of course that wasn't the only reason she felt good. She'd had a chance to think about her last conversation with Naomi. At the time she had been uncomfortable and embarrassed but now, having had the chance to reflect on it, she realised it couldn't have gone any better than it did. She still felt a little guilty at having gone through Naomi's files behind her back; but at the time she justified it as 'necessary research' to try to understand this heroic Spectre that had just walked into her life.
However Liara was still unsure what to do. Everything seemed to be moving too quickly, she had only known Naomi a short time but just couldn't stop thinking about her. After their talk she had been feeling a curious combination of elation and confusion, fear and delight. The previous night had been especially bad and she had barely slept at all, instead reading through more reports of Naomi's past exploits and trying to find something, anything to help her make sense of her feelings. To work out why she was so obsessed with this human that she hardly knew.
So it was with a thoughtful manner she strode onto the ship and made her way to her room. As she made her way to her room, however, Tali's voice rang out.
"Hey Liara, back from medical? Everything ok?"
She turned and smiled. "Yes, thank you, Tali. I'm fine. You?"
Tali seemed amused by the question as she made her way over, though it was hard to tell with quarians due to the helmets. "I'm fine of course. All I had to do was replace my suit filters to be completely clean. That's one of advantages of constantly being locked up in this thing; there isn't much chance of anything getting in."
Liara thought for a moment and decided she had no choice, she needed a fresh perspective. "Tali…do you think we could talk for a few minutes?"
"Sure Liara, what's on your mind?" Tali gestured to the mess table and they took seats opposite each other.
"I just wanted to ask…well…I don't think you ever told me about how you got involved in all of this. How did you meet up with Shepard?"
Tali was clearly surprised at this question. "Oh, why do you ask that?"
"No reason. I was just curious," lied Liara.
"Ok…" said Tali, clearly not believing the flimsy explanation. "It was on the Citadel. I had found some information on Saren, so I was being chased. I figured I could sell the information to the Shadow Broker in return for safety. I managed to get hold of one of the Broker's contacts but he turned out to an agent for Saren."
Liara stared at the young quarian in surprise. She had obviously been underestimating Tali. "So how did you get away? And where does Shepard come into this?"
"Shepard was the one who saved me," explained Tali. "I was lured into a trap, foolish of me to believe them but I was desperate and more than a little naive. A group of them tried to kill me and would have easily managed it if Shepard hadn't turned up with Garrus and Lieutenant Alenko. They killed all of the assassins, so I owed them and gave the information to them instead as repayment."
"But what about now? Why are you still here if you have already repaid your debt?"
Tali looked a little uncomfortable at that. "Well…I'm not really sure. I mean, I repaid Shepard for saving my life but I just felt like I should do more. I'd like to say that Shepard persuaded me it was the right thing to do, but that'd be a lie since I'm the one who asked her. It just felt like…I KNEW it was the right thing to do as soon as I met her. Joining up with Shepard, coming here, fighting Saren. It all just felt like it was meant to be. You know?"
Liara sighed. "I do. More than you think. Do you ever doubt your decision? I mean…you could leave whenever you wanted to."
"No. Well, maybe for a short while. But again Shepard was there to convince me otherwise. We quarians are often treated badly by society. People see us as pests. Shepard is respectful and has done everything she can to help with any problems I have and settle in. I feel honoured to be her friend and to be able to help her with this. She's a good person trying to do the right thing and that matters a lot in this crazy galaxy. My view is to seize the opportunities that come along. Because you might not get another and you only regret it later if you don't."
Liara just stared at nothing for a while until Tali waved her hand in front of Liara's face. At that Liara came out of her daze and smiled. "You're absolutely right, Tali. I can't believe I'm being so stupid. I owe you." Liara jumped up and went to her room.
"Er…you're welcome I guess," Tali called after her before slumping back in the chair. "Keelah! What was all that about?"
An hour later Liara was feeling much happier, though not without a slight edge of trepidation. After getting back to her room she had composed a slightly sappy note for Naomi on a datapad about wanting to be swept away in the storm with her. Liara wasn't exactly happy with the wording but couldn't find a way to improve it as it was a true representation of her feelings. So she sent it on to Naomi's private messages anyway and, decision made, got back to work with a much clearer head.
There was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
Naomi stepped in and Liara quickly got up and walked over to her. "Ah, Shepard. I trust you received my message?"
Naomi didn't say anything, instead wrapping her arms around the asari and embracing her tightly. Liara's eyes went wide in a mixture of surprise and pleasure before returning the gesture. After a few moments Naomi let go.
"Sorry, too sudden? Well I am 'rushed and highly-strung' after all," she said with a slightly self-deprecating grin.
"No, it's… everything just seems to be moving so fast, we have only known each other for a little while. We don't even know each other that well."
"Well, that's one thing that we can do something about. Dinner, tonight, my cabin? About nine?"
Liara nodded a little nervously. "I'd like that."
"…and THEN he said 'sorry, Commander, but the Admiral did say it applies to EVERYONE," finished Naomi.
Liara almost choked on her wine and burst out laughing. "Shepard, really…I fear you're making these up to make fun of my ignorance."
"I couldn't make up something like that, believe me."
"I believe you." Liara took another sip of wine. The remnants of the seafood on her plate had been thoroughly picked over at least a quarter of an hour earlier but she didn't remember eating any of it. She had been too engrossed in conversation.
"Dessert?" inquired Naomi.
Liara nodded and Naomi got up, brushed a few crumbs off her uniform and walked over to the sealed container that she had pulled the rest of the meal from. "Where did you get all of this anyway?"
"Well," said Naomi, toying with the latches on the box. "When someone turns up at the best seafood restaurant on the Citadel with a good credit account, Spectre status and, not least, the determination to biotic her way into getting what she wants if necessary they tend to do what you ask them."
Liara laughed again, the sound music to Naomi's ears and the catches finally released. "Ah, here we are. Chocolate mousse and strawberries." She laid the two plates on the table.
Liara picked up her spoon and tried a little of the mousse. "This is delicious. Everything has just been…"
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."
"It's not just the food. I'm glad to have had this chance to get to know you properly."
"Likewise, so I haven't scared you off with tonight then?"
"Not at all. Everything just…feels right."
The two of them picked at their mousse for a moment. Then Naomi picked up a strawberry and reached across to hold it by Liara's lips.
"Try it, they're really good."
Liara hesitated and looked into Naomi's eyes before taking a bite. Without looking away Naomi put the rest of the strawberry in her own mouth.
After she had swallowed Liara cleared her throat and simply said "Amazing…" before looking away nervously.
They both finished their desserts in a thoughtful silence. After they were done, Liara drained the last of her wine and stood up.
"It's been an incredible evening but I should get an early night; we have a busy day tomorrow."
Naomi stood up as well with a little reluctance in her voice. "If you think that's best. I'm glad we did this." She led the way to the door and then stopped before turning and hugging Liara, hesitating briefly as she let go in order to kiss Liara's cheek.
After stepping back Naomi burst out laughing.
"What?" exclaimed Liara, surprised. Naomi didn't speak, she just picked up a napkin whilst still chuckling and gently pressed it to where she had kissed. When she brought it back there was a clear marking of chocolate. Liara's cheeks darkened and Naomi laughed again at the blush before wiping away the rest of the chocolate.
"Thank you," said Liara. "That would have been embarrassing to explain if anyone had asked."
"Embarrassing?"
"Yes. Don't get me wrong, Shepard. I'm very happy with this…with all of this. But it's overwhelming and I don't feel ready for anyone to know yet. I've hardly processed it myself."
Naomi took hold of Liara's hands and stared into her striking blue eyes. "I promised you that you could have all the time you need and I meant it. We will take things exactly as fast or as slow as you want them to happen."
Liara started to say something but couldn't find the words. Instead she gave Naomi another hug and then left. Naomi closed the door before making her way back to the table, poured another glass of wine and took a sip. Patience is a virtue.