"We don't have time to gain the assistance of any other Asari, unfortunately," Dr. T'Dandra looked stern. She had actually done this procedure once before, Goddess be with them, but her peer, Dr. Yania, she could tell, felt very unsure. She looked over to the ex-Spectre. Dr. T'Dandra still remembered seeing the vid of the very first human spectre being inaugurated. She was amazed to see how much that young looking human had aged. She was certain it had less to do with the years, and more the burdens of war. Shepard was gazing very intently into her eyes. Her expression was such a poignant, quiet plea for help. "Shepard," she said softly, "It is very important that you do not touch Liara or in any way distract her mentally during the procedure. If you would like to speak with her before we begin, now is the time. After, it will probably be best if you leave the room..."
Shepard nodded curtly. She walked over to Liara, who was resting, placing a hesitant hand on her sweaty forehead. Shepard's eyes, wise with the sorrow and joy equal to many lifetimes, now scanned Liara's face for what she feared might be the last time, piercing her skin, intently memorizing every crease and freckle. Shepard gasped. The room disappeared, and out of darkness came her beautiful lover, gazing seriously at Shepard.
"Shepard...what is going to happen?"
Shepard heard the innocent tones and lilt of the very same Liara she knew when they first met. Young, inquisitive, innocent. Liara was asking her, trusting, as if to say: I know you'll know what to do, Shepard. Tears starting to creep out of the corners of her eyes, Shepard's voice cracked, "They said they're going to help you have the child. They called it Ta'Eel."
"Goddess," Liara muttered softly, "It must be serious. Although, since I'm not talking to you with my body, I suppose it's serious anyways."
"Ha" Shepard responded weakly. Liara's scientific ponderings always amused Shepard. "I guess it's my turn to wait for you to come back from mission impossible."
"Yes, I suppose so..." Liara smiled, liking the thought, "That should be good for you. Ah...I'm very tired, Shepard. I need to prepare myself for this procedure. It's good to know ahead of time, I can lower my mental boundaries, relax my biotic-to-kinetic links, and...such..." Liara's image was fading a little.
"Wait!" Shepard cried, but she was back in the room already. Liara's eyelids fluttered, between waking and sleep. Shepard's jaw clenched. A tear rolled down Shepard's face. Without even bothering to wipe it away, she leaned down, and whispered, "Liara, I love you" intently placing a passionate kiss to her lips. She leaned up, looking one last time at her beloved's face. Shepard thought she could almost see a ghost of a smile on Liara's lips. Shepard stood. "Doctors, she is yours," Shepard stated as she left the room without further ado, not even looking at them.
All three gazed after the woman who in every moment seemed to stamp herself as a legend. "I have never seen a human bonded to an Asari like that," Dr. Yania stated innocently, "I didn't even know one could bond in an unconscious state." Dr. T'Dandra got to business, muttering "rare indeed..." she looked at Chakwas, "Doctor, your assistance will be needed if surgical matters must be taken into hand, although only if dire..."
"I am actually very familiar with Asari physiology, doctors, I understand what is at stake," Chakwas responded calmly, "Quickly now. Let's begin."
Shepard paced the waiting room like a tiger. Her mind was a frenzy. Somehow the gravity felt heavy. She hated being on land. She looked out the window. What normally would have been a breathtaking scene of lush and green rolling hills were instead reminders of battles she had been in. Running in armour, weapons heavy, exhausted, tingling with adrenaline, and blood, and burning, and screams. So many screams trapped in Shepard's minds. Cries of death. She could imagine Liara's cries of death. Blue blood on her hands this time. Blood that came from Shepard's love. She automatically looked at her hands, then shook her head, clasping them behind her back and continuing her pacing. It seemed she would never escape the crushing weight of all her decisions. No one, not even Liara knew, how much of Shepard's life had haunted her. Simply existing seemed to Shepard heavy, her weaknesses, simply accepting her existence had crafted a crack in her soul. It was out of this crack the tornadoes and hurricanes of darkness tore with furious wind. She thought of her decision within the catalyst. If she had chosen to control everything, she could truly have ensured Liara's longevity, and everyone else's happiness. Shepard thought of her dream. She felt like a monster. Her selfishness and it's consequences were now becoming clear.
Shepard punched the wall, denting it a little. She shook her fist, hurting. She leaned against the cold metal. She was trapped in this room, tied to the land, unable to fly. Blackness was blanking out her mind. She felt a hand on her shoulder, "Shepard..." She knew that voice. She turned around. Samara. Joker. Miranda. Jack. Garrus was there too, saying "They all were close enough within the system that they came immediately. Wrex and Grunt both said they're on their way, although I'm not sure why since it will at least take them a few hours, or what strings they're pulling to get here. Tali is also on the comm link, waiting on the line whenever you're ready." Shepard couldn't help but smile a little, "My friends..." she said simply.
"So ya knocked Liara up and now she's popping the kid?" Jack growled, "Don't worry, Shepard. Liara's a tough bitch" Jack pounded the wall for emphasis. Miranda raised an eyebrow and said to Shepard, "Joker and I were actually exploring a nearby planet, well, he pilots, I explore; I am privately examining the off-record Cerberus bases to find intel. Shepard..." Miranda didn't know what to say. She was actually really bad at these things. Joker jumped in, "Liara's fine. It's probably just, you know, like twins, or triplets, or something. I don't know how many Asari can have at once, but I have heard stories...Off topic, you do not want to know what it was like for my mom to give birth to me." Joker rolled his eyes. "Back on topic, Liara was really rolling the dice, choosing to pair with a crazy warrior woman, I mean, your shoulders are as broad as a Turian, Shepard. Popping out a kid like that? God bless." Joker mock-crossed himself, and several in the room couldn't help but laugh, including Shepard.
"Shepard," Samara spoke, "Are they performing a Ta'Eel?" Shepard nodded, grim, while the others looked questioningly at her. Samara's eyes looked unfocused. "I sense they are struggling. I think I will join them, my services are probably needed." Samara gracefully left into the adjoining room. Shepard glanced and saw the two Asari doctors over Liara, their hands hovering over her forehead, all aglow blue with biotics. Shepard looked away. She didn't dare look. If she did, she wouldn't be able to control herself. If she didn't control herself, Liara would sense her panic and be distracted. Then Liara would die. And probably the baby too.
She turned to her old comrades, solemn: "Thank you for coming. It really means the world to me." Everyone softened, quietly watching their commander. Garrus finally broke the silence, "Perhaps now would be a good time to contact Tali?" Shepard smiled, "Yes, please put her on your omni-tool, so we can all see her."
Only a few hours passed, but all waited in an anxious eternity. Finally, everyone jumped up as they heard the unmistakable cries of a newborn infant. Shepard was first to dash in, silent, eyes flashing. The doctors were split between tending to Liara and wrapping the baby in a blanket. Shepard went first to Liara. "She is in a deep sleep, Shepard. Mentally and physically exhausted," Dr. Yania explained, as she looked at Liara's vitals, smiling, "but very much alive. Never fear." Shepard dropped her head. The dark place her mind had been crowded in vanished with relief. "Shepard," Samara gently approached, "Would you like to see your child?" The words seemed to echo in Shepard's brain and she wondered if this all hadn't been an extremely long, elaborate dream. She paused, then peeked into the bundle. Samara held the baby out further for all to see. All gasped, and Samara unfolded the rest of the blanket so they could see. The baby was peach. Well, the baby was a very pale peach, but her skin was unmistakably human-looking. Her skin pigment had a strange, very light-blue sheen to it, towards her head, hands and feet the faint peach-color changed to blue, paler than Liara's shade, but unmistakable in hue. The strange, metallic translucency was breathtaking. The strange star-colored speckles Liara had on her crest formed in a V along the child's, extending further down her forehead like an arrow. "Shepard," Chakwas spoke, "I think we've deduced the principle problem behind Liara's child-birth. Look at your baby's DNA strand," Chakwas showed a glowing monitor, "At the very most, an Asari will use two percent of her partner's DNA in the actual construction" Chakwas stared at Shepard, "Your child's DNA is ten percent human." Shepard looked down at the baby. They all did.
"That's it?" Shepard said incredulously, "you'd think it'd be a lot more for how different she looks" "Please, Shepard," Chakwas lectured "A human and a domestic cow share ninety-seven percent of the same DNA. There is a lot packed into just one percent- Let alone ten." They all continued staring at the baby.
"So...what does this mean?" Shepard finally asked.
"In my professional, scientific opinion, Commander?" Chakwas responded, "I have absolutely no idea." Everyone was silent.
"Fuck, Shepard!" Jack said, "You really knocked Liara up!" The crew all looked at Shepard, who defensively looked back at them.
"Do you wish to hold your child, Shepard?" Samara asked, and Shepard, thinking of her dream, quickly cut her off with a firm "NO." Everyone in the room was either silently staring at Shepard, or the baby. Liara was all but forgotten, so when she spoke, everyone jumped, "I think Shepard we should name our child, don't you?"
"Liara!" Shepard turned to her bondmate "I love you so much!" Shepard kissed her so lovingly that everyone shifted or looked away. Liara smiled patiently, "I love you too, Shepard, but please try to focus. I am very tired. The child. Our child. She needs a name. Do the honors, would you?" "Y'know," Joker piped in, "I think it would be appropriate if you named your kid after all the people who saved your life, y'know, the real heroes, your crew, her prospective godparents—How does Joker-Garrus-Miranda-Samara-Jack-Wrex-Tali-Javik-Grunt sound?" Everyone stared at Joker. The silence became awkward again, "No?" Joker asked innocently.
"I think" Shepard said, "We'll name her Sarah."
"Sarah" Liara murmured, closing her eyes. "A very ancient human name, if I'm not mistaken, it's meaning is 'princess.' How very sentimental of you, Shepard. But a good name. I want her name to be human..." Liara sighed, drifting back. "Liara," Shepard said gently, Liara looking up to Shepard questioningly, "I...I'm glad you're alive." Liara's beautiful smile broke out, her face pale, she sighed, "I'm sorry, Shepard. I'm sorry...you had to...go through what I did, so many years ago, to...feel what I felt..." Shepard soothingly stroked Liara's face. She realized she was now a parent. Liara had done it. They had a child. The narrowest, most acute joy she had ever felt in her life pierced her heart."It was worth it," were Liara's final words as she fell back asleep. "Yes," Shepard murmured, stroking Liara's face, "Worth it. So, so worth it." And Shepard looked again at their child, Sarah, who was now looking at Shepard.
Shepard smiled. She had her eyes.
This story was SO much longer than I intended it to be. :P I had two more happily-ever-after one-shots planned but I just might leave it at that. Just imagine the child growing and them being a happy family and Shepard and Liara being a super hot couple. Ends.
