London- Months after the Reaper defeat.
Just as she had done for the last few months, Liara T'Soni spent the days twilight hours walking through the halls of the Royal London Hospital. Her soft footfalls could not pierce the deafening silence that replaced the bedlam a few months ago."Goddess" she sighed, glancing at the empty rooms that were once filled with the casualties of the Reaper invasion. She remembered the agony and death that formerly reverberated around these walls. A brush of cold dampened her skin when her fingertips caressed her cheeks. It was as if she felt the raw tears of all the grieving survivors on her own skin.
"Never again though, Because of Shepard the cycle is over… Shepard.." thoughts of him broke her from her reverie, as she reached his door, and entered the room. The smile on Liara's face was bittersweet as she saw Shepard, alive. Yet, she hadn't seen those warm emerald eyes of his since they brought him here. Comatose. the doctors said, she hated the word, it was too close to being dead, and he had promised her that that wasn't going to happen. He was just sleeping, Goddess knew he deserved it after all he had achieved against the reapers. She bent down and kissed him on the cheek her lips brushing his growing beard, his hair was also growing, and was starting to curl at the tips. "Just open your eyes Shepard, just wake up… please" she spoke into the silence, allowing herself to drift back into the memory of the night they shared before Ilos.
They laid next to each other, naked with their bodies and feelings exposed. Shepard was sleeping the sleep of satisfaction and passions spent. Liara hadn't slept though, she had instead lay there watching him sleep. Marvelling at the man she had fallen in love with, as excited as she was to explore the Prothean ruins on Ilos, the man before her had moved something in her she didn't even know was there. She had spent her whole life preferring solitude over company, but now she never wanted to leave his side. Slowly she took his hand in hers and filled the space between his fingers with her own. She felt him reciprocate as his hand returned the warm gesture with a soft squeeze of her hand. Shepard smiled as he opened his eyes to find find Liara's loving gaze fixed on him.
"What? Still want to dissect me, Dr. T'Soni?" Shepard teased her.
"Oh no, Shepard. I didn't mean to stare. Forgive me, as I told you, I'm quite new to this" Liara hurriedly let go of his hand and sat up in embarrassment.
Shepard tried to his repress his laughter, but failed to keep it in. He laughed under his breath and sat up to look at the young Asari in the eye.
"Shepard?" Liara asked.
"Liara, I was..."
"Joking, right" she cut him off, shaking her head before he could finish his sentence. "It'll take me a while to catch up on humanity's sense of humor." She blushed at her ignorance, yet she managed to laugh at herself for her mistake.
Liara moaned resignedly as Shepard edged in closer to kiss her neck. She gave in to him again, and pressed her body against his. Her fingertips dug into and ran across his back. "A while huh? I can handle that" He had whispered, she had kissed him deeply, and when she broke the kiss he had added "But I certainly could settle for more."
Liara pulled herself back a few inches away, looking at Shepard with great emotion. She turned Shepard to face her and gradually closed the space between them until their lips lightly brushed the other. "Shepard, I-"
"Thirty minutes until we hit the MU relay, Commander" Joker interrupted their intimate moment with the blaring intercom.
"Maybe another time" Liara thought to herself before giving Shepard one last lingering kiss.
"Remind me to kill him or better yet slap a singularity at him" Shepard sighed in defeat, standing up to wear his pants.
"Shepard" Liara called him out.
"Liara, I was-"
"I know, you were joking, Shepard. Asari are fast learners" Liara stated confidently in a-matter-of fact tone.
"If you count a hundred years as fast, then alright, you win Liara"
"I caught that one"
"Don't learn too fast, we'll have all the time in the world." He kissed her goodbye and released her hand as he turned and walked toward the door. She sat and smiled, absently touching her nose where he had kissed her. Long after he had walked out the door she had sat there allowing the moment to ingrain itself in her memory, she knew it might be their last, but she wouldn't allow herself to believe it. His final words to her echoed through her mind again, just as comforting as when he had uttered them.
"All the time in the world.."
"Dr. T'Soni?" A familiar voice called out behind Liara, as a tap on her shoulder dissolves a distant memory. She turned her head to find Dr. Michel, Shepard's doctor, greeting her with a warm smile.
"Please Dr. Michel, it's just Liara" She returned the smile with a slight squeeze of Dr. Michel's hand. She then stood up and faced the Doctor. "It's good to see you" Liara sincerely added. It truly warmed her heart to see a familiar face despite this whole month of pandorum during the aftermath. Dr. Michel was fortunate enough to have left the Citadel prior to the Reaper invasion to procure high-grade medical supplies for Huerta Memorial. Had she been there, she might not have been as lucky as Shepard. For a moment, Liara thought, it almost felt like it was just like old times.
Dr. Michel's Office.
"Any news regarding Garrus? Dr. Chakwas? The Normandy?" Dr. Michel asked.
"I'm afraid not, with the Mass Relays down, it will be difficult to sweep every planet so soon. Hopefully, they aren't too far." Liara frowned, remembering the faces of the people she once served with.
"I'm sure they will find their way back soon enough. Shepard put together a fine team." Dr. Michel replied, assuring Liara. "If you or Ms. Williams need anyone to talk to, my door is always open. I know it must be hard with Shepard's condition and the Normandy gone."
"Thank you Dr. Michel, I appreciate it but there's lot to be done."
"Liara. As the chief physician of this facility and as your friend, I'm prescribing you with a week's worth of rest. Pass that onto Ms. Williams, if you can. Lord knows she's been spending countless hours burning bullets."
"Okay, I will" Liara nodded in affirmation.
"Both of you deserve some rest. Don't worry, Shepard won't be going anywhere"
Liara smiled at Dr. Michel's attempt to lighten the situation. However, the smile slowly dissipated when she realized what the doctor truly meant regarding Shepard's condition.
"Speaking of Shepard, anything new?"
"What can I say, Liara? You've been here every single day. We both know the same thing. Like I told you a month ago, he's in stable condition but we won't know when he'll wake up. We were lucky enough to find him alive."
"I see. It just hurts to see him like this"
"I know it hurts, but talk to him Liara. It helps."
Liara simply nodded and kept her silence unsure of what to say to convince Dr. Michel and herself that she's keeping together. Ever since she first lost Shepard, Liara eventually stopped being the naive, young Asari he once knew. She matured into a tough and guarded young woman despite her age. Sometimes she wondered whether that was the reason Shepard and herself had a falling out a less than a year ago when they took a pause in their relationship. However, she took comfort knowing that they found themselves together again despite his detour with Miranda Lawson.
"If it's any consolation, his brain waves have been spiking recently. That doesn't mean much, just that he's dreaming and there's activity."
"Still, that's something" Liara smiled. "I'm afraid I must cut this chat short. Admiral Hackett wanted to speak with me."
"Of course, wouldn't want to let the Admiral waiting." Dr. Michel stood up from her desk and chair, escorting Liara towards the door of her office. Liara gave the doctor a brief hug, but before she could say goodbye, Dr. Michel stopped her for a moment to hand Liara a tiny black box. "Liara wait, I found this in one of Shepard's things. Some of the patients belongings were shuffled during the aftermath, I'm glad it's sorted out though."
"It's a ring" Liara exclaimed in surprise as she opened the box to see a twenty karat diamond ring beam across her face.
"It's an engagement ring. Humans give it to their partners or as you Asaris call it bondmates as a sign of desire to marry." Dr. Michel happily informed Liara. "I thought you might want to have it."
"Was this meant for me?" Liara asked her.
"Of course" Dr. Michel answered in a puzzled tone. "Who else could it have been meant for?"
Liara simply smiled and thanked the doctor for her time and walked away. Dr. Michel's last question plagued her mind. Did she really doubt her role in Shepard's life? Or did she just need some rest? She stopped from her thoughts and tracks as she turned away from the hallway leading to the entrance. There was still time to bid Shepard goodbye. It was past visiting hours but she's been a regular at the Royal London, the nurses stopped telling her she couldn't stay. She smiled at herself upon pondering about her special privilege since Shepard's mother couldn't even stay as long as she did. Yet, as her steps moved in closer towards Shepard's room, a distant figure stood hovering across her lover's bed. Her step quickened, tightening her hold on her Phalanx heavy pistol. She twisted the doorknob, expecting a faceless hitman from a splinter Batarian or Cerberus group only to find a raven haired woman dressed in her signature white jumpsuit.
"Who else could it have been meant for?"
Dr. Michel's words echoed around the four corners of Liara's mind. However, she managed to gain her composure as she addressed the woman standing in front of her. Liara nodded, releasing her grip on the Phalanx.
"Miranda Lawson"