Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or its characters.
Shepard frowned as she stared into the bottom of her glass. It had previously been filled with some expensive alien brandy that she didn't remember the name of. She assumed it was safe for humans as Anderson had given it to her as a gift. Although, at this point in time, the Commander didn't exactly care whether this alcohol was meant for dextro or levo based DNA, as long as it could dull her sense, she was happy.
She let her thoughts wander, not particularly caring where they ended up. Flashes of old squad-mates, dead and alive, floated through her mind. Memories played themselves over whether they were good or bad ones. Then thoughts of new squad-mates, ones she just met on this mission to defeat Saren, started to play themselves without Shepard's permission. Memories, feelings, and thoughts rushed around in a chaotic whirlwind through her mind until one particular squad-member pushed herself to the front of the Commander's mind. Doctor Liara T'Soni.
Shepard grunted as she poured herself another glass of the alcohol, frowning as her thoughts had once again returned to the Asari doctor. The young, well, young by Asari standards archaeologist kept slithering into her thoughts, no matter how much Shepard wished that she wouldn't. It had all started after she and Liara had melded to make sense of all the images floating around the Commander's head thanks to the Beacon and then again when she encountered the Cipher
It had been disturbing, having to see all those images again during the first meld. But…it had been different than when she had first encountered the Beacon. There had been something else there during the meld. Shepard had thought she had imagined it. A ghost of a feeling hidden behind the thunderous storm that was the images of the Beacon. Then the second meld came with after she encountered the Cipher. This time, the images made more sense. The storm was quieter. And Shpeard knew she wasn't imagining this feeling, but she couldn't describe it. Whatever it was, made Shepard feel good.
And then Shepard found herself talking to Liara. It was fun, she found, to talk to the Asari woman and learn more about her and her people. She also thought it was fairly adorable how she bumbled through their conversations, making awkward comments and then realizing what she had said was possibly offensive. The Commander thought it odd that she would find herself so drawn to this young woman. She'd lived for 106 years, almost five times the years that Shepard had lived; yet Shepard felt that she had lived through more than five times what the Asari had. They were so different.
Shepard was sure that Liara had grown up in the lap of luxury, or something close to it since her mother was a respected Asari Matriarch. A far cry from Shepard's own upbringing where the only family she had were fellow gang members. Then there was the fact Liara had barely faced in sort of real danger. Sure, she'd probably had to deal with a few space pirates or wild animals on her digs, but that was nothing compared to what Shepard had to deal with on a day to day basis. Their bodies certainly showed the difference. Where Shepard was lean and muscled from years of military training, Liara's was soft and oh so supple.
The Commander sat ramrod straight at this train of thought. Her body buzzing and she wasn't sure if it was from the alcohol or this recent revelation. She settled back down and let her mind wander again down this possibly harmless road. The Asari's skin was certainly a pleasant shade of blue. She had met other Asari that were too bright or too dark for her tastes, whatever her tastes were. Her eyes were just a pleasant a blue as her skin, and if Shepard was one for waxing poetic, she was certain that they sparkled with an innocence that spoke of the Asari's unburdened upbringing. A spark that Shepard was certain her own eyes never contained. The Commander also conceded that the light purple markings that resembled freckles added a sense of endearment to Liara. Shepard did always a thing for freckles. She shook her head at this, thinking instead of Liara's lips. They were a darker purple than her "freckles", something that Shepard found interesting. They were naturally purple, the woman didn't use any lipsticks or glosses to make them appear that way; something that Shepard found interesting. Especially since her lips always seemed to be absolutely soft and extremely kiss-
Shepard slammed her glass on the table in surprise, cursing as some of the alcohol splashed out of her cup. She couldn't believe that her mind had gone there. It was unprofessional and completely…well…Shepard found herself not giving a damn. Her body was buzzing even more pleasantly than before, and this time she didn't suspect that it was the alcohol. Her mind drifted back to the previous scenario, kissing the archeologist. Letting her hands wander over the Asari's body, squeezing and pressing in ways that would bring cute and sexy little noises out of the alien. At least Shepard assumed they would be cute. They'd peel away each other's clothing, piece by piece, revealing more of that blue skin…and then…
Shepard glanced over at the door and decided to activate the lock. If she was going to continue now this path she was definitely going to need some "alone time" afterwards. She was definitely going to talk to Liara after, and hopefully sort these feelings, whatever they were, out.