Hello! I'm back at it again on a posting frenzy I suppose. This one is not set specifically when or where in the Family Ties Universe. Lets just say that this one-shot occurs during the Reaper War but everyone is on shore-leave. In this case, they are finding ways to stay occupied while not thinking about the Reapers, the Illusive Dick, and his pesky asshole Cerberus shock troopers.
I should have posted this one-shot two days ago but was finishing up another chap for Family Ties and busy with some family stuff. I will say this, NightmareWalker wrote this one after she had seen the new Star Wars movie a few weeks ago and whatnot. Happy late May the Fourth be with you!
We brainstormed about Grunt sparring with my first FemShep I made for ME named Zara for a bit one night and this one-shot came to fruition, Thanks to NightmareWalker. We then concluded that former MMA fighter turned actress, Gina Carano is inspiration for my created FemShep. (Carano recently starred in the Deadpool Movie as Angel Dust). Well, that's who we see as Commander Zara Shepard. NightmareWalker and I then bounced back and forth with a few things about who would be watching the two of them spar and if and when Liara would make her appearance and be totally entranced by her bond-mate sparring with FemShep's adopted krogan son. (lol) So this one is clearly a FemShep/Liara chap folks! Aria, Aethyta, and Jack also make an appearance in the chapter being their typical selves. A mention of some Jack/Shiala and Aethyta/Benezia in the chap. You have to squint for the Jack/Shiala stuff while the Aethyta/Benezia stuff slaps you in the face blatantly.
Thank you again NightmareWalker for writing this chapter and being awesome! Thank you to all of you who faved this story to see where I go with it. I hope you will all enjoy it one way or another...I'm just gunna stop rambling now.
I do not own Bioware, EA, LucasFilms, Star Wars or anything else that may get me into trouble if I claimed it mine. The only one I can truly say is mine is my created FemShep, Zara.
On-board the Normandy, the everyday sounds of the crew scurrying to their tasks overshadowed the faint thuds that echoed behind the doors of the training room. On the other side of them, Zara Shepard and Grunt tussled on the large area marked out as a ring. She grinned ferally at the Krogan, goading him with an insouciant flick of her wrist to remove the hair from her vision. He snarled and charged her again, swinging wildly to try and grab her. Shepard evaded smoothly, ducking under his arm and kicked his ass, sending him reeling and struggling to catch himself.
"Dammit, Shepard, fight fair!"
She only grinned and gestured for him to come at her again. Grunt let loose a roar and charged once more and suddenly found himself facing down a confident woman whose smirk made him falter long enough for her to grab his arm. She sent him reeling once more and, once he finally turned himself around, he saw stars and was abruptly on his ass, staring at the lit ceiling. "The fuck?" Standing over him, Shepard smiled widely and rubbed the wide red mark on her forehead, eyes slightly dazed from the blow and stance victorious.
On the sidelines, leaning lackadaisically against the wall lined with weights, Aria, Jack, and Aethyta all laughed. Jack ribbed Aethyta good naturedly, smirking widely. "Told ya she'd put him on his ass. Pay up, Papa Blue."
Aethyta groaned and rolled her eyes. "I told ya, Jack, you only win if he gets knocked out. No points unless it's a TKO, babe." She flipped off Jack, who flicked her finger with a wisp of biotic energy and rolled her eyes.
On their other side, standing some distance away, Aria crossed her arms and sneered, brows lowered over her eyes as she watched Grunt struggle to his feet while Shepard bounced nimbly around him. "You'd be dead four times over already, Grunt."
"Shut up, T'Loak," the Krogan rumbled dangerously, slowly straightening and shaking his head. "You fucking headbutted me, Shepard? Really?"
The woman smiled widely suddenly, pausing her movements to shrug and hold her hands up. "Hey, if it works…besides, Wrex showed me how to. Blame him." She curled her index finger at him, daring him to come at her again, and the Krogan eyed her balefully.
Behind them, the doors suddenly opened and Liara wandered in, head swiveling as she took in the scene. "Zara, what are…" Her voice dropped off as Grunt rushed Shepard and she leaped out of the way then ran at him and planted her feet in the middle of his back, sending him flat on his face with a rushed exhalation. Shepard shoved his head down when he lifted it, twisting his arm as far behind his back as she could, unaware of their new audience whose eyes studied her raptly. Liara watched the muscles in Zara's arms flex as she wrenched Grunt's arm around, saw the vicious, victorious smile on her face when he roared and tapped out with his other hand, watched the subtle play of muscle and sinew moving beneath her legs as she slowly stood and stepped away from the Krogan.
She startled when Aria barked out a laugh and sauntered over, pushing her shoulder lightly. "Hey, baby sister, you alright? You're drooling, you might wanna shut your mouth." She playfully tapped Liara's jaw and shorted when it snapped shut with an audible click of teeth. "Get an eyeful of your soldier over there? She's just showing off for mom and Jack, she knows they like a good spectacle." Rolling her eyes, Aria shoved Liara again when her gaze strayed back to Shepard as she helped Grunt to his feet, an easy smile replacing the feral one she'd worn. "Jeez, you'd think you weren't banging her, the way you act sometimes."
Liara flushed purple and Aria chuckled, brushing a heated cheek with the back of her knuckles. "See, it's things like this that make me think you and soldier girl over there haven't fucked sometimes. Other times…let me say, baby sister, I'm glad I'm not in your head other days; you get this wicked gleam in your eyes, kind of like mom and Benezia, ya know? Like that morning after their anniversary, when you and me walked in on them doin-"
"Yes, I remember what happened, Aria!" Liara squeaked, panic lacing her voice and eyes wide as she finally met Aria's gaze.
Her sister snorted a laugh and shook her head. "Go on, I think I've tormented you long enough for now; go see your soldier. Besides, I think mom might shoot me if you turn any purpler."
"Uhm, no…no, it can – it can wait. I need-" Liara broke off when Grunt tried to yank Shepard off her feet, only to suddenly find himself on his knees with his arm twisted uncomfortably overhead again. Zara's muscles flexed and Liara turned purple, fleeing the training room without a backward glance.
Aria watched Shepard look around curiously and speak just loudly enough to carry to her ear canals. "I sense a disturbance in the force…Grunt, are you done yet?"
"Not until I best you, Shepard!" He struggled and she let him go abruptly, smirking as he fell forward.
Behind her, Aethyta laughed raucously and slapped Jack's shoulder as the tattooed biotic stared at her in confusion. "Oh, come on, please tell me you understand that reference!" When Jack only stared blankly at her, Aethyta groaned and pressed her palm to her forehead. "Oh, that's a crying shame. It was only one of the best franchises the humans made in the twentieth and twenty first centuries. I'mma show you the vids someday soon, make you sit there like I did with dear Zara."
At the sound of her name, Shepard's head popped up and Grunt used the minute distraction to break free, swiping her legs from under her and sending her into a tumble atop him. They grappled until Zara was panting over Grunt, one hand in a fist just over his face and the other planted atop his chest.
Jack rubbed the back of her head, stepping back from Aethyta. "Uh, no, I think I'll pass, Papa Blue. Last time you made me watch one of those old ass vids, you hid my communicator for the day-"
"You were on it constantly! What else was I supposed to do?"
"Not hide it in the fucking freezer? It took me six hours to get the damn thing to work again!"
"Oh, boo hoo, not like your little Cheerleader couldn't build you a new one," Aethyta waved her hand lackadaisically. "That's not the point, dammit! I didn't want to watch the damn vid in the first place!"
"It's good to be cultured, and you could use the diversity instead of only watching action vids. And besides," she continued, hands on her hips, "what exactly is wrong with being more culturally rounded?"
"I don't want to be more 'culturally rounded,' dammit!" Jack stomped her foot childishly, crossing her arms defiantly across her chest as Aethyta eyed her balefully.
Behind her, Aria mimicked the pose with uncanny precision. "Yeah, mom, she likes being a Neanderthal. Leave her to her cave-woman tendencies." She waved her hand lackadaisically through the air and barely managed to duck the flare of energy that flew at her head, glaring at the biotic with murder in her eyes. "You did not just…"
"I think I did," Jack retorted, smirking firmly and hand smoking, "what are ya gonna do about it, you little blue bitch?" Aria's eyes darkened and she charged Jack, tackling her to the floor. They rolled around, grappling and throwing biotically charged punches when they could, eventually ending in a stalemate with Aria atop Jack, each with a glowing hand at the other's neck.
"You know," Jack said conversationally, "if you wanted a piece of this, all you had to do was ask. These theatrics really weren't necessary; I'm sure Shiala wouldn't mind." Wiggling her eyebrows lecherously, Jack cackled when Aria furrowed her brow, a look somewhere between curiosity and disgust flitting across her face.
She gagged when her collar was suddenly grabbed and she was unceremoniously yanked off Jack's hips, Aethyta's hand firmly grasping her clothes as she dragged her back. "I swear, it's like you're still a damn maiden some days. What are you gonna do when you get into a bind and I'm not there to pull your stupid ass out?"
"Slap them with a singularity?" Aria shrugged as best as she could while still being held by her mother, then pulled away and approached the training mat.
Shepard was watching the proceedings with interest, sitting atop Grunt's back with her foot planted firmly in the back of his head, and cocked her head as Aria swayed over. "Finally paying attention, Your Highness?"
"What can I say? Sometimes, I need something more...stimulating."
Aria smirked and Shepard grinned, all teeth and wild eyes surrounded by a halo of dark hair. "Maybe you'd better find your bondmate then, if our company isn't enough to keep your interest."
"Maybe I will. Goddess knows I haven't had enough time to appreciate her recently." Every word Aria let slip dripped with innuendo, her eyes smoldering playfully as Shepard fluidly stood and stood until they were toe to toe.
"A beautiful woman like that? I wouldn't let her leave my sight for any length of time."
"Then why aren't you with my sister?"
Shepard froze for a moment, then looked over Aria's shoulder and grinned. "I think I will take your gracious advice and remove myself from here before Grunt loses all the feeling in his arms." Her gaze swept over her shoulder, looking with amusement at the Krogan who was struggling to his feet sans arms – which were hanging limply at his sides, fingers twitching occasionally. He muttered darkly to himself, limping toward the door, and Zara chuckled. "Oops," she said sarcastically.
Aria smiled and clapped her on the shoulder. "I knew there was a reason I didn't kill you when you began seeing Liara."
"You'd have me to deal with, daughter; you know our Little Wing is fond of the princess. Athame knows why, she's just a meat-head, but…" Aethyta shrugged, all 'what can you do' helplessness, and snorted a laugh when Zara mock glared. "All right, all right, c'mon kids, let's leave the Commander to herself." Aethyta swept Aria and Jack into the circle of her arms and led them away, beginning to regale them with a story of her maiden days that left Aria groaning and Jack laughing uproariously as they left through the door.
Shepard shook her head and carded her hands through her hair, making her way toward her quarters, where she found an eager Asari waiting just inside the door that jumped her and dragged her toward the shower, pulling her damp sleeveless shirt over her head and untying the cords of her pants as they made their way under the warm spray, a seductive smile firmly in place as her eyes blackened.
Leave it to Aria to knock some sense into an oblivious FemShep lol! Poor Grunt. He will best his battle-master (Mother) eventually.
When NightmareWalker sent this to me, I had to giggle at Aria and Liara's interaction; Typical older sibling picking on the youngest about their significant other. And Yes, Aethyta is a Star Wars nerd. I also giggled when Jack calls Aethyta, Papa Blue. I mean Jack calls Liara...Blue if you bring Liara along to the Grissom Academy mission in ME3 ONLY if you had and played the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC for ME2 I believe.
Next chapter will be going back in time. Specifically, Liara's birth and Aethyta being a nervous new dad.