A/N: So here's chapter 2 I guess. I had the whole story on one document, but I figured this was a reasonable place to break it up.
HEY LOOK! LIARA'S BACK, BITCHES! She's just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. (on a rant/sidenote, I played ME1 last week (out of order gaming FTW!) and I have to ask: WHERE DID ALL OF LIARA'S ADORBS GO? she was chock full of cuteness and questions and awkward in the first game, and then they totes changed her dialogue for 2 & 3. so sads. anyways I tried and failed to write her with a bit of both personalities. let's see how I did, shall we! /endrant.)
(((Unimportant junk: song #2 would be Holocene by Bon Iver. go listen to it. it's the shit.)))
So let's find out how our star-crossed (literally! I've been waiting to say that for a long ass time) lovers end up together! because it's AAADDVENTURE TIME!1
Enjoy :)
Red. Always red. It was bad enough that her dreams were the exact color of the Commander's scarlet hair, but when she awoke, the scent of Shepard's shampoo magically found a way to her nose. It drove Liara crazy. She always needed a cold shower after waking. To wash away the intensely vivid dreams she always had.
This was the first time in her life that her ability to meld with someone had ever caused her any pain. But everything that Liara so intimately knew about Shepard manifested itself perfectly in her sleep. Touch, sight, sound, smell, taste, thoughts. They were all there, reminding Liara of the emptiness of waking up alone. It took a few weeks for her to stop being angry at the Normandy's lack of alcohol.
While she wasn't wishing for something to take the edge off, Liara was found in one of three places. Pacing the poor excuse for a hallway between Shepard's cabin and the elevator. Pacing down in the crawlspace under the engineering deck. Or in her room, pacing. She kept going over scenarios in her head: what she would say if Shepard was okay, what she would do if she wasn't, where they would go, where they wouldn't go. On and on, breaking down potential conversations piece by piece. It kept her preoccupied. Sort of. But she couldn't pace in her dreams. They were the chink in her poorly fashioned armor.
She had hoped last night would have been better. After weeks of isolation, mourning the lost, hoping for the best, expecting the worst, Liara thought that her final night would have been a reprieve. But instead her dreams were more tantalizing than ever. Her skin burned where the vision of Shepard had traced her fingers over. Her mouth was dry after listening to her dream self shouting at the Commander to come back. And the scent that was so toxic to the asari had come back again at a dizzying level. Liara practically ran to the shower.
When she returned to her room, Liara checked the clock and did a double take. "EDI," she said to her ceiling. "Have you finished yet?"
"Yes, Liara," the AI responded through a speaker overhead. "Engineer Daniels is installing the drives as we speak. He should be done within the hour.
"That's... I can hardly believe it. Thank you EDI."
"My pleasure."
It was one of the longest hours of Liara's life. There was nothing she could do to help, and every minute felt like ten. She sat perfectly still on her bed, her mind had shut down; Liara couldn't think, she could only wait.
Five minutes passed. Seven. Eight. Eleven. Fifteen. She was getting better at not checking the clock. Twenty-two minutes down. Twenty-eight. Thirty one. Thirty five.
"Liara," Edi said over the intercom. The asari let out a startled gasp.
"Yes?" she breathed.
"Joker is preparing the jump. Would you like to come up?"
"Absolutely," Liara said. She was out the door and on the elevator before she knew it. Within moments she found herself staring at the displays in the cockpit.
"Good to see you," Joker said as his fingers flew across the interface, as it they were testing their own physical limitations. "You disappeared on us there for a while."
"Don't start, Jeff," EDI said through her body in the co-pilot's chair. "We all needed some space."
Joker was silent as his hands danced. Then, "Good to have you back, Liara."
"Thank you," the asari said quietly.
"Ready in four... three... two..." As joker counted down, Liara saw the blue light outside the Normandy grow bigger and brighter. "One." Sound disappeared from Liara's ears as the blue light burned white and enveloped their ship. Liara felt the the familiar tingling in her gut that signaled the jump. "Everyone, welcome back to the Citadel," Joker said into an intercom. "Scenically located at... Sur'Kesh, it looks like. One moment. Incoming transmission."
Joker cut off the intercom and pressed a newly flashing light on one of the displays. A static image appeared and then cleared up. It was Commander Bailey. "Normandy!" the Commander yelled. "Is that you?"
"Yes sir," Joker said with a nod. "All crew present and accounted for. What's the word on Commander Shepard?"
"Happy to report she's A-okay; just got out of the hospital. Damn you're a sight for sore eyes..."
Liara didn't hear the rest of the conversation. Shepard was alive. That was all she really needed to hear. Alive and well, now that was a bonus. She felt something hot on the side of her face and realized she was crying. When she put her hand over her mouth, she also realized she was grinning like an idiot. But that didn't matter. Shepard was... Shepard was waiting for them. She tuned back into the conversation. "Joker," she said softly, putting a hand on the pilot's shoulder. "Can we go?"
"Listen Commander," Joker said. "We have to get going. Remember not to tell Shepard."
"Understood," Bailey said. "Head on home, Normandy."
"Aye, sir." Joker ended the transmission and began furiously plotting their next course. Liara looked out the window to see the Citadel turning away from them. "Making the jump in three... two... one."
Her world was mute again, and she could no longer see anything out of the window due to the blunting light surrounding the ship. But this was all good news. The tingle in her stomach was back, but that may have just been nerves. They were going home. Planet Earth came into view through the windows as the bright light faded.
"Why did you ask Commander Bailey not to tell Shepard of our return?" Liara asked.
"That was my doing," Edi said. Liara might have heard a shade of guilt in her tone. "You sometimes would think out loud when you were pacing the hallways. I overheard and figured we could arrange for you to surprise the Commander."
"I... see," Liara blushed furiously and turned away from the other two. She added a quick and quiet "Thank you."
Over her shoulder Liara heard another transmission start. "Joker!" It was Tali. "You're alive!"
"O ye of little faith," the pilot teased. "We're just fine. How about yourself?"
"A lot better now," Tali said with obvious excitement. "How did you...?"
"Not now," Joker said. "It's a great story, I assure you, but we can't hang around. Can you send us her coordinates? We've got a delivery for our favorite commander."
Liara blushed again in her corner.
"Right," Tali said. " I got Bailey's message. Forwarding coordinates now."
"Thanks Tali. We'll stop by in a bit. Joker out," their pilot ended the conversation and wasted no time. Liara watched a flurry of stationary ships speed by as the Normandy flew down to Earth. To Shepard.
Liara looked out the front window to see the planet grow exponentially larger as the Normandy approached. She could pick out the different land masses and see great black scars spread across the green landscapes. As the Normandy flew closer, Liara noticed they were heading towards the dark side of the planet. She recoiled at the realization. She hadn't prepared for a nighttime reunion! All of her scenarios called for a bright sunny afternoon. She would have to do the thing she feared most: improvisation.
Liara blinked and all of a sudden they were touching down. She had forgotten they had left Earth without their shuttle pilot. There was a hand on her shoulder. "Are you going to just stand there?" asked Joker. He had stood from his chair and was watching Liara. "We just landed."
The asari smiled before she turned on her heel and ran the length of the ship to the duct ladder. That elevator was far too slow for something so important. She slid down the levels and into the empty shuttle bay. She ignored the unsettling quiet―interrupted only by her heavy footsteps and heart pounding―and ran out the open loading bay.
The dirt under her was loose, but Liara didn't really notice. She was too busy craning her neck at the tower in front of her. The world was dark around her, but the building was lit up like a beacon. She then remembered she had no idea where to find Shepard. She ran past the armed doormen and into the main lobby of the building, looking for a familiar face. There was only one.
"Admiral!" Liara called as she sped across the floor, hoping she wouldn't need to make a bigger scene to grab the man's attention. "Admiral Hacket!"
"Dr. T'soni," Hackett said, not looking alarmed or put off at all by the crazed asari sprinting at him. "I just got word. We're glad you made it out alright. Everyone here on Earth is indebted to you for what you've done, Doctor."
Liara smiled slightly. "Thank you sir, really, but I need to find―"
"I know," Hackett said with his own smile. "Top floor, only door. You can't miss it."
"Thank you sir," Liara bowed. She turned to leave but the Admiral spoke again.
"You'll need a key, Doctor," Hackett said. Liara turned back to him as the Admiral held out his hand with a silver-blue card.
"Thank you," Liara said once more before turning around completely. She entered the nearest elevator and punched in the top floor. How she hated slow elevators. But on the plus side, the agonizing wait gave her time to think. What would she say? Some dazzling line of great import? Something funny? Something about missing her? She didn't know. And what if Shepard was different? It was entirely possible that she changed somehow after she went through the Reaper beam. After the Citadel or the Crucible. What if the cybernetics Shepard had were different from Liara's since she was at the center of the blast? Did the Reapers tamper with Shepard to a greater extent than everyone else?
The elevator needed to hurry up and get to the top already. Just as Liara thought this, however, the doors opened and the archaeologist froze. The only sound was that of her heart beating like a cannon. She was nervous. Afraid. "Please exit the lift," a synthetic voice said, scaring the life out of the asari. Liara jumped out of the elevator on impulse and the doors closed behind her. No turning back.
She turned the room key over in her hands a few times before gathering her courage. She slid the card through a slot and the door swung open silently. The room was dark in the dead of night, lit up only by a sliver of moonlight. Liara stepped without making a sound, though she was sure her heartbeat could have woken the occupants of the floor below. She walked across the circular room and into a hallway. She tried a door.
The first room was undisturbed. A bed with no one in it. Liara tried the next option. Next was a bathroom. The third option was a kitchen, which didn't seem like somewhere the Commander would sleep. That mean the last doorway was Shepard's room. Liara turned the handle and pushed the door open a crack. There was breathing. Slightly muffled against something, but it was the only noise to be heard aside from Liara's chest cavity.
Liara braved the unknown and stepped into the room. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness and she could see a silhouette on the bed in front of her. It's shape rose and fell slowly. Liara stepped closer. She could make out Shepard's hair, too dark for color in the night, but there all the same. Shepard was faced away from the Liara, who was content to stand there for a moment.
There was nothing the asari could have done to plan out this moment. Shepard tongue-tied her just by being there. Liara looked down to see her boots were off, as was her coat. She wasn't sure when she had removed them.
"You're still wearing too many clothes, Liara." The asari looked to she Shepard turn away from her once more.
Liara's voice was only a whisper, yet it still wavered. "Shepard?"
"Please don't make me sleep alone." The Commander was pleading with her. And Liara wasn't about to disappoint the woman. She kicked off her heavy pants so she was just in an undershirt and her underwear. Liara walked towards the bed, and noticed Shepard had yet to turn towards her.
The asari lowered herself onto the bed and under the covers. She slid closer to Shepard but stopped before their skin touched. She took a breath before gently placing a kiss on the Commander's neck. Everything was as she remembered. The heat coming off her skin, the scent of her hair. This was the extraordinary person she belonged to.
Shepard moaned. "I hate―really hate―to spoil the mood... but my doctor says no fun and games for a while."
Liara whispered over Shepard's ear, which caused the Commander to visibly shudder. "Damn. I guess I'll just have to hold onto you all night. Just to make sure you don't go anywhere."
Liara slid her arms around the Commander's waist and pulled the woman into her. Shepard's hands found Liara's and laced their fingers together as she settled her head into the crook of Liara's neck. "I'm staying right here."
"I've missed you Shepard," Liara said as her finger traced circles over the back of the Commander's hand.
"I love you."
Liara gave Shepard a tight squeeze. "You're so blunt. You beat me to it."
"Sorry," Shepard said.
"Sure you are," Liara countered. She began kissing Shepard's neck again, slowly reacquainting herself with the territory. Even without joining, the closeness was enough to overload the asari's senses. This was what she had been aching for for the past two months. The closeness, the touch, the warmth, the reactions. It had been here the whole time. "I love you, too."
"Liara," Shepard gasped. "I meant it about what the doctor said."
"Let me have at least this much of you," Liara said between kisses, holding Shepard just a little tighter. She nuzzled against the Commander's neck. "Or do you really want me to stop?"
The commander let out a shaky breath. "I take it back, don't stop. But—mmh—no biting."
"Well," Liara said, planting her lips just under Shepard's ear. "Now you're just giving me ideas."
A/N: Slow down there, Dr. T'soni, Shepard's under strict "no-foreplay" rules for the next couple of whiles. anyways..
How did you like it? I won't know unless you review :3
Fun fact! that's about as hot and steamy as I get. just wanted to get that out of the way.
If you're sitting there thinking "Hey dude, how did Joker pilot his broken ass back to the Citadel without any relays?"
WELL, don't you worry about it. I have it all figured out. In fact, remember that part where Liara tunes out of the conversation between Joker and Bailey? No? Well it happened, and what she missed out on is an explanation of that very phenomenon! Fun stuffs, huh?
But rest assured, the real tale is coming up, so come back and read the next chapter, whenever the hell I put it out.
I need to shut up. BUT I WON'T! because I actually have something important to say (cheesy gasp!).
I'm not sure if the next chapter of this fic should be the morning after Liara gets back, OR a few months after when things have settled down and our favorite peeps are sitting on some beach, sipping fruity drinks out of cups with little umbrellas getting the down time they deserve. Maybe if you reviewed, you could LET ME KNOW WHICH ONE YOU WANT and I can start writing it. So yeah. food for thought.
And another thing (I know, seriously, "get to the point and shut up so we can all go REVIEW, you silly bastard!" I get that a lot.). I've read other fix-it fics between Femshep and Liara where Liara gets pregnant and so on and so forth. Well there shall be no "little blue children" in my story. The other stories are perfectly excellent if you're looking to find out how Commandur Shepurd becomes a dad.
Okay, I'm done. After all of my bullshit, I sincerely hope you've enjoyed my story thus far. Any reviews would be wonderful. Not sure when chapter 3 is coming. But if you review and only say "UPDATE PLZ" I will go ape shit and not update for several weeks. Listen to me. I'm so greedy. I wonder how people stand me?
