DISCLAIMER: I do not own MASS EFFECT and am not gaining any profit from this story. All rights belong to BioWare.
Author's Notes:
Sorry if it's a little OOC AND a bit AU, it's hard to write when your muse left you midway. I just wanted to see more Liara/fem!Sheaprd fics out here!
Hurriedly Liara T'Soni walked in the direction of the commander's quarters. A briefing of the core Normandy team was due within a couple of minutes. Over time they had made a habit to arrive together, but she had been so busy researching that she had forgotten about the time, per usual.
'I wonder if Shepard had forgotten about the meeting too', she thought. She was worried about her. She looked tired. But then again, there was so much to be done. Find Saren, defeating Sovereign, the Reapers… The Council still hadn't accepted the fact that the Reapers had really returned. She felt angry towards the Council for all the trouble they were causing.
She had tried to convince Shepard to delegate some of the work or take a few days rest, but she did not want to hear about it.
When she had reached the door she knocked the door twice. When she didn't hear her answer she knocked again, louder this time. She still didn't hear a thing and called out Shepard's name, but no reaction came. 'Perhaps she has already left', Liara thought but pressed the green button that opened the rooms anyways letting out a hissing sound as the doors opened. "It's unlocked."
She looked inside. "Shepard…", she called out softly and then she saw her. She was sitting in a large chair near the computer and… she was fast asleep.
Liara remained standing in the doorway and smiled. "She's so lovely when she's asleep", she muttered softly.
She wanted to wake Shepard, but then decided against it. 'She's completely exhausted', she thought. 'I knew it. I'll let her sleep. We can have the meeting without her'. She knew that was not true. Shepard was the leader, Spectre and Commander of the Normandy and dictated all their actions, she should be there. Liara took a blanket from the bed. Carefully she placed the blanket around her. When Shepard moved Liara froze.
'Please, don't wake up', she thought slightly panicked, but luckily Shepard carried on sleeping. For several minutes she remained standing there quietly, watching her with a smile on her face. Then Liara leaned closer to her and pressed a careful kiss on her cheek.
´Where is Shepard?" Wrex asked as she walked into the room.
"The Commander is not coming", she replied and staring at her were the other core members.
"What do you mean 'she's not coming', Ashley asked with her eyebrows raised. "She's not sick, is she?"
"No, she's not", Liara replied.
"Then where is she?" Kaidan asked impatiently, "and why isn't she here? Did you talk to her before you came here?"
"No", Liara replied, "I mean yes, she…" she looked at the curious faces around her, "she's asleep".
"She's asleep?" Tali repeated incredulously.
"Why didn't you wake her?" Kaidan asked almost angry. "This is outrageous. She's asleep…!"
Liara felt the anger rise inside her and turned angrily towards Kaidan. "Did you ever stop to notice that Shepard is only human, and like the rest of us she, too, can be tired? I came into her quarters and she had fallen asleep on her chair. She's just tired, do you mind? And yes, I've let her sleep. Do you ever look at all the things she does for us all? And all the things that she's trying to do? She deserves rest too!"
While she was ranting she noticed the drastic change in the faces in front of her. The changed from determination into… amusement?
"What is it?" she asked bewildered. All eyes were looking at something behind her. She turned around and looked straight into the smiling face of Jane Shepard.
"Thank you Liara", she said, "but don't worry about me."
She noticed Shepard taking a step so that she was standing right beside her and then she felt Shepard's hand on her shoulder. When Shepard lowered her face to Liara's, her eyes widened in surprise. Then her lips descended on hers and she kissed her softly and tenderly. Liara was too surprised to react and before she knew it, the kiss had ended.
"There…" Shepard said while going to stand in the centre. "Shall we begin then?" she asked the other crewmembers who were all chuckling.
The next day, Liara sat in her room in the back of the medical bay and looked at notes she had been trying to read. It was impossible because she was too distracted thinking about what happened the day before.
The other members of the Normandy were teasing her, except for Kaidan who was now giving her dirty looks. She did not know how, but somehow everyone had heard about it—even the members who didn't go to the briefing. She had hardly spoken a single word after the briefing. 'How could Shepard do something like that?' she thought. 'Was she being serious or was it just a joke? She didn't know.'
Liara had skipped breakfast and at lunch she had took some sandwiches and sat at the mess hall. She didn't feel like talking to Shepard. She wasn't angry or upset, just startled. She sneezed.
"Are you having a cold, Doc?" Ashley asked.
"I wonder how that happened", Tali giggled.
Liara sent both girls a glare and decided not to comment on it.
She sat down again, trembling slightly. "I will kill Shepard, she thought angrily. 'She will pay for this!' Liara angrily walked back to her station behind the medical bay.
She didn't hear the hiss of the doors open and close again, nor the person who watched her with a smile on her face.
"Hey…", a soft voice said and she looked up startled, right in Shepard's eyes. Liara shot her an angry glare and turned back to the computer screen.
"I'm angry with you", she replied tensely, not daring to look in her eyes. "Why did you do it? If you hadn't kissed me in front of everyone you wouldn't be in this situation".
"Liara, you are the one who has started this whole thing".
"Me?" Liara asked. "What's that suppose to mean?"
"You kissed me first, while I was supposedly sleeping", Shepard replied smiling.
"There was not much to be see", Liara replied. "I just gave you a peck on you cheek, that's all. And no one knows about that. It was just a friendly gesture, nothing more. And if you had not kissed in front of everyone…"
"You responded well to that, if I remember correctly", Shepard interrupted her.
"That's not true", Liara replied. "I did not respond at all".
"But you didn't pull away either", Shepard answered, stepping through the doorway, closer to her.
"I'll bet that, if I kiss you again, you will respond", there was unmistakably a teasing look in her eyes. She came closer and closer and Liara took a few steps back.
"Shepard, this is ridiculous", she said, her voice shaking slightly. "Stop it."
"You're afraid, aren't you?" Shepard asked, coming even closer. "You don't dare to let me kiss you". Liara stepped further back until she stood with her back against the wall. "We're friends, and you're my commander…", she begins, "and I think…"
Shepard interrupted her and said, "I think I have the right to kiss you after all that's happened between us."
"No, you don't!" Liara answered furiously, watching her still coming closer. She pulled an OSD from the desk and held it in front of her face. "Shepard, we should talk about this, as two mature people…"
"Put away the OSD, Liara", Shepard said, "we can't talk with that between us".
"No", Liara answered, "I want…. Hey!"
Shepard pulled the OSD from her hands and dropped it without ceremony on the floor. She attempted to slide pass her, but Shepard placed her hands on her waist to stop her. She was now caught between the wall and Shepard's body and looked at her furiously.
"Shepard, I don't want you to kiss me", she hissed. "You're just making a fool of me or trying to be funny. I won't participate!"
"Liara, the last thing I want is to make a fool out of you", Shepard said softly and she felt Shepard's breath on her face.
"I will kiss you just once", Shepard told her softly. "Just once and if you don't respond I'll personally make sure the rumours and teasing stop and I will never mention this again".
"Just you wait, Shepard", Liara thought grimly, 'I happen to have a rather strong powers of concentration.
"Alright", she agreed, pressing her lips firmly together.
Shepard's hands slipped further around Liara's waist and she pulled her closer against her. Already Liara felt her control slipping. 'I can do this', she thought franticly, 'I'll get back to her by not responding to her'.
Shepard's nose touched hers and she still held her lips firmly pressed together. Shepard leaned closer towards her and gently kissed the corner of her mouth. Then she proceeded to her cheek and chin. Her lips moved even lower until Liara felt them on her neck. Her kisses were soft and tender and sent shivers up and down her spine.
Not responding to her was the hardest thing she had ever done.
"Shepard, you're cheating", she whispered with a slightly hoarse voice. 'I thought you meant to kiss my lips".
"I won't forget them, believe me", Shepard muttered against her neck and moved up to her ear.
"Athame forgive my weakness", Liara thought and bent her head slightly to grant her more access. She heard a chuckle coming from Shepard and closed her eyes for a moment.
"I knew it", she whispered softly.
"Oh, hush", Liara whispered back. With one hand she stroked her hair and her other hand moved around her neck.
Shepard gazed into her eyes, their faces only inches apart and her arms around her. "I love you, Liara", she told her in the same soft voice. "I've loved you for a while now, but I didn't know if you felt the same way about me. And then at the meeting… when you defended me in front of everyone… I fell in love with you all over again. I was so tired of hiding my feelings for you that I kissed you. And I have not regretted it for one moment".
Liara smiled and caressed her face with her fingertips. Carefully she pressed her lips against her and kissed her. Shepard responded immediately and cradled her in her arms, while their kiss became more and more passionate.
Eventually they pulled away and both of them tried to catch their breath again. "I love you", Liara told her softly. Shepard smiled and her lips found hers again for another kiss.
Fini