Three Little Lovebirds
Chapter 4 – The Decryption Code To My Heart
With a screech of protesting brakes and a shower of sparks, the Mako slid to a precarious stop inside the Normandy's cargo bay. The extraction had been much more frantic than normal, and probably would have failed altogether were it not for Joker's masterful piloting. Lucy could just picture his smug face, spouting off how great he was to anyone unfortunate enough to be stuck in the vicinity. At that moment though, she had to agree...the pilot had saved all their lives.
"We...we made it," Liara whispered disbelievingly "We made it!"
Garrus started laughing, a sharp cackling sound that was as infectious as it was loud. Liara's nerve cracked and she couldn't help but giggle. Before long, all three were chuckling hysterically to themselves.
"Let's...let's get out before they think we've gone insane," Lucy wheezed breathlessly, going for the exit.
"You are insane Commander," Garrus retorted, though there was no venom in his words.
The door had been mangled at some point in the proceedings; probably from their less than stellar landing. Lucy pressed the release button several times. Nothing happened apart from the pathetic whine of strained motors.
"Stand back..." she panted breathlessly. Welling up a few last drops of strength, Shepard smashed her shoulder against the hatch. The weakened hull buckled and finally cracked under the strain. Lucy's momentum carried her through the freshly opened hole and into a heap on the deck outside.
Harsh lighting blinded the spectre, leaving her dazed and disorientated. For a second, she couldn't remember where they were. Then a husky, human voice sounded from a few metres away.
"They're alive!" Kaiden yelled, rushing to help the Commander. The Lieutenant helped Lucy to her feet, while motioning for Wrex and Ashley to come and assist him. Behind, Garrus and Liara stumbled from the gutted Mako into the waiting arms of a medical team. The two glanced at Shepard, but allowed themselves to be hauled off to the Medbay, too tired to protest. Lucy knew she'd soon have to join them, but there was something important she had to do first.
"You had us worried for a while there Shepard," the gravelly voice of Wrex came from behind her. He sounded genuinely concerned, or at least as close to it as a Krogan could.
"Have a little faith Wrex," Lucy laughed, slapping the huge reptile on the back. The impact made her wince; those muscles were going to be sore for a few days yet.
"They're gonna need you two to help with the clean up," Ashley said, motioning at Wrex and the Lieutenant. "Don't worry, I'll babysit the Commander."
Wrex and Kaiden began to grumble, but were silenced by a look from Lucy. The Krogan shrugged, before letting out a hearty chuckle and leading the protesting biotic back the way they'd come.
"I don't like the look of that smirk," Shepard said, regarding Ashley with one arched eyebrow "You look too much like me."
"Well..." the young marine said, smiling even wider "If I was you, I'd know that there was a certain person who'd been awaiting my return with great anticipation."
It was Lucy's turn to smirk. It didn't surprise her that the Chief knew; she was a lot sharper than most gave her credit for. The grin died however as William's expression turned more sombre.
"Seriously though Commander, she's been really worried about you. What with that helmet and all, it's only a matter of time before she drowns in her own tears."
"I see..." Lucy said, glancing around for any sign of that familiar head shawl "Do you think you could stall Chakwas for me?"
There was an unmistakable sound of a descending lift, a noise which made Ashley grin again as she nodded.
"Make yourself scarce Chief," Lucy said, giving her a sidelong glance. The young woman nodded and bounded off to hunt down the doctor.
Shepard glanced around. For not so subtle reasons, she was glad that Liara had gone. It was foolish for her to feel guilty...after all, the kiss had been a spur of the moment gesture. The thought did little to alleviate her nerves; she would have to do something about this whole mess very soon. The longer she put it off, the more and more likely it became that she'd end up with nothing at all.
With a pneumatic hiss, the lift door slid open. Tali spotted the spectre almost immediately, and wasted absolutely no time.
"Lucy!" she shrieked, causing several crewmen to start with alarm. Shepard had never seen anyone move as fast as the Quarian did just then; her feet barely touched the ground as she covered the distance between them.
She had a fraction of a second to brace herself before the girl literally leapt the last few metres and crashed into Shepard's arm. The force nearly sent then both bowling over, compounded by the fact that Tali wrapped her curvaceous thighs around Lucy's waist and refused to let go. The Commander's only option was to slide her hands under the girl's hips and return the embrace.
"I was so worried!" Tali whispered, squeezing with all the might in her tiny frame "When I woke up and you weren't there...then when I heard you'd been captured! I didn't know what to do."
It was hard for Lucy to speak, what with her face being forcibly crushed into the Quarian's chest. Shepard could feel Tali's racing heart beat wildly, even through the swell of her bosom. Fortunately, the young girl relaxed her hold slightly, allowing the spectre to start breathing again.
"I know...I didn't want to leave you, but you were so peaceful...it seemed cruel to wake you up. If I'd know what would happen..." she babbled; excuses weren't her strong suit.
Eventually, Lucy coaxed the Quarian off her and set the girl gently down on the floor. Even at her full height, Tali only came up to Shepard's chin...she couldn't have been any more than five foot.
"I've been thinking about what you said," she muttered, suddenly timid "About what I would say if...when you came back. In fact, I've wanted to tell you ever since you saved my life on Therum..."
"Don't be scared, you can tell me." Lucy whispered, suddenly afraid. She longed to hear the words she knew were coming, yet the familiar icy-cold of fear flooded her stomach. The implications of what the young girl might say were terrifying.
Tali tilted her head upwards. With one hand, she fumbled with some button on the side of her helmet. She pressed it, and Shepard was greeted with a hiss of pressurised air escaping.
The spectre stared in wonder as the fog that had shrouded the Quarian's face all this time escaped through tiny vents in her rebreather. Eventually, Lucy was left looking through mere glass at the most gorgeous sight she'd ever seen.
Tali's skin was a ghostly white; almost translucently pale...a by-product of a lifetime in artificial light. Her eyes were puffy and red from prolonged sorrow, but Lucy could still make out the large, hazel iris that encircled each midnight pupil. The Quarian's nose was small and dainty, with a slightly turned up end. It's bridge curved gracefully upwards to merge with pencil-thin eyebrows.
Plump lips were parted from heavy breathing that steamed the base of her visor. They were pale like the rest of her face, but subtle hints of pink and purple lent them an irresistible, alluring quality. Apart from her mouth and eyes, the only other colour on the young girls face was the blush of her cheeks, which were stained a dark redy-purple with embarrassment.
"I love you Lucy..." she squeaked in a tiny voice "You mean everything to me and...and I wanted to make this moment special, for both of us..."
Lucy had always taken the word 'love' very seriously. It was bandied about all the time, yet few people actually truly felt it deep down. She'd only ever used the term 'love' with one special person before, and that hadn't ended well. Still, that was in the past now, and she wouldn't let it affect decisions of the present. It was painfully obvious that the young girl meant what she said, it was now or never. Shepard's breath caught in her throat as she locked the Quarian in a heart-stopping gaze.
"Oh Tali..." she whimpered, watching the complex drama of emotion unfold across the engineer's features "I love you too!"