AN: This is my first fan fiction in a VERY long while as I haven't really felt inspired by any fandoms until Mass Effect. This is an intro to just test the waters. It's going to be a much larger story that will mostly be FemShep/Liara with some Samara and possibly Aria. Will span meeting on Illium to the Shadow Broker DLC and beyond. Will contain many spoilers. Apologies as not all chapters will be beta-ed. As such, I will not take offense to anyone sending corrections. Enjoy :)
Scared of Lonely
Normandy-SR2
Evelyn Shepard paced in front of her desk, occasionally sparing glances at the picture frame by her computer. They were docking at Illium soon, and she would have to see Liara T'Soni. Not that she didn't want to see her. Hell, Liara was her lover not an attack squad of Collectors, but right then she was more scared of the young asari than any Collector or Reaper. It had been two years for Liara while it had hardly been any time at all for Evelyn having just woken up from dead a week or so earlier.
Until then, she had had recruitment and other missions to keep her occupied, but two of her dossiers brought her to Illium, and Liara might be the only one who would know how to get in touch with them. There was no more avoiding the inevitable. She had to confront Liara and see if those feelings they had were still there. Evelyn stopped pacing and picked up the picture. The night they spent together before Ilos and the short time after were some of Evelyn's fondest memories. She had closed herself off from other people for so long, but with everything they went through together, she couldn't help but fall for the asari, and she looked so beautiful in that picture. Placing the picture back down, Evelyn sat in her chair. Her mind was filled with questions: what if she gave up on me? What if she found someone else? What if she's changed too much?
Her thoughts were interrupted as Joker paged her over the intercom, "Illium ETA 15 minutes, Commander."
"Got it, Joker. Thanks."
"And Shepard?" he paused for a moment. "Good luck."
Everyone knew about her and Liara. They had no reason to keep it a secret after Saren's defeat, and Joker knew, as much as she didn't want to admit and would never show it, that if this wasn't dealt with, Evelyn would be a mess. The pilot knew her all too well. She didn't need to break down in front of Liara, and she didn't need any distractions on this mission, 'Hah, distractions', she thought. 'Too late for that.'
Standing up, she grabbed her visor, snapped it into place, secured her armor, and headed for the bridge, paging Garrus and Tali on the way. She would feel better seeing Liara with her two closest friends and currently most trusted squad mates.
Garrus and Tali reached the bridge moments after Evelyn. As they entered the airlock, Tali put her hand on Evelyn's shoulder, "Shepard, we'll wait outside while you talk to Liara if you'd like."
"We'll get some drinks ready at Eternity if you need them," Garrus added. Evelyn couldn't help but chuckle despite her mood. She knew bringing the two of them was a good idea; they always knew what to say.
"Thanks Tali, Garrus."
"Hey, it's the least we can do, Commander. After all you've done for us," Garrus said.
"We're ready, EDI," Evelyn announced to the AI.
"Matching interior pressure to exterior pressure. Stand by," EDI's voice came over the intercom. After a few moments that seemed like ages to Evelyn, the doors opened. With a deep breath, she stepped out onto Illium.
