Howdy everyone, I'm back! Collage got in the way a bit. Anyway, I'm requesting true, constructive criticism on this - it's the first love scene that I've published, and I want to make it better for everyone! Yes, I was a bit of a troll, I know, by doing what I do :P Sorry, but this was agonising and torturing me and I wanted to get it up quickly.

So, enjoy! And the plot begins now!

Chapter 6

The cave was slightly oppressive as Shepard led the asari into the dim shadows.

"There's a pool of water right at the back." Liara said softly.

"Oh?"

"I explored while you were unconscious. I thought that's what you would do." Shepard's interest was pricked, and she glanced back at the asari, who continued. "The terrain is rather bland – dusty and barren with few plants. The sea is a little distance away; I saw a narrow path running down there. The vegetation is inedible. We will have to depend on Hawke and her companions."

"I see." Shepard came to a halt where the light barely touched her. Here, she felt more comfortable. The idea of seeing the hurt in Liara's eyes when she denied the meld again was a little unbearable. However, she could not refuse the tightening in her gut, or the yearning she felt.

"Shepard?" The innocence in Liara's voice made the Commander almost flinch. But she isn't innocent anymore, Shepard thought, she was the Shadow Broker now. And in regards to her 'innocence', I have very much taken care of that.

"I figured you and I should make up for lost time." The Commander smiled slightly in the half dark. Liara's hand was cool in hers as she raised it to her mouth and kissed the knuckles. The asari blushed and looked away.

"You're being suspiciously charming." Liara said softly.

"Yes, well," Shepard smirked, "I can't be a gentleman due to my sex. But I can be a gentledyke." The joke had been used between them before, but the Commander was pleased to see it still tickled a small laugh from the asari's throat. A tender hand brushed through her hair as Liara moved closer. Shepard took a moment to gaze into those deep blue eyes – they seemed to swallow her whole, like the eternity of space. Staring into Liara's eyes was like drowning, Shepard decided; her heart always thrashed in something like panic, and her breath always came short, before sweet bliss calmed her. In other words dangerous.

Then she lay all poetry aside; it was time to get this show on the road.

Shepard leaned down and captured those soft lips with all the possessive anguish she felt in her heart of hearts. With shaking hands, she pulled the lithe warm body tight against her, crushing the asari against her in desperation. Perhaps Liara sensed Shepard's urgency, for the clutched at her shoulders allowing entrance to her mouth so their tongues could duel for domination.

Shepard won, as always, and quickly shoved Liara against the wall. It was with sweet frustration that the Commander caught the asari's bottom lip in her teeth, and bit just enough to earn a sharp gasp. The noise drove Shepard's arousal through the roof – a haze fogged her brain as she nudged Liara's chin up and nibbled the soft skin of her neck.

"Shepard..." Liara's voice, thick with titillation, made the Commander shiver. Her scent was just as teasing as she remembered it. It made her hunger for more.

Hastily, she rooked up the velvety dress; Shepard had never been the patient type. Silky skin met her pawing hands and Liara quivered slightly, humming breathlessly. The Commander growled softly, shoving her knee between those legs, jerking it up against the hot core at the juncture of Liara's thighs. It was with almost wild abandon that Liara's hips started grinding down against her leg, and Shepard couldn't help but grin into the crook of her neck.

"Oh... Shepard..." Liara murmured softly, "Let us make love in the pool."

Somehow, she didn't have the heart to tell Liara she wasn't going to make love to her. She was going to use her.

No, no, she wasn't as callous as that – she was just going to fuck her. Yeah, that made the iron lump of guilt shrink a little. Not by much, though.

Without a word, the Commander pulled away, taking hold of a wrist and dragging the asari to the back of the cave. It was pitch black here; Shepard was not used to having sex in the complete dark. However, it was oddly thrilling being blind – after the initial awkwardness of finding each other's lips, the fire of her hunger returned two-fold. Actually locating the water was another obstacle. Liara seemed reluctant to let go of Shepard's shoulders, almost as though her Commander would disappear if she released her.

The pool was icy to the touch when Shepard kicked off her boots and socks – the water had leaked across the floor of the cave, tricking sweetly with innocent playfulness. She hissed as she plunged her foot into the cold, before pushing the asari away and starting to undress. A dark dream of casting clothes aside was followed by the warmth of her lover as she carefully guided the asari forth.

She stopped when the water came up to her waist. The floor was smooth against the soles of her feet, and there was an ever so slight current. The tendrils of water teased at her legs, making her smile slightly. The coyish temptation to go deeper was held in check by the Commander's childish fear of deep water; a vivid memory of flaying like some earth fish came to mind. She shook her head before reaching for the sweet warmth of her companion.

"Goddess..." Liara's voice shook with the chill – Shepard felt her way up a goose fleshed arm and rubbed it briskly in an attempt to keep the asari comfortable.

"It sure is cold." the Commander said, failing to keep the smirk out of her voice. This earned her a gentle pinch on the thigh in rebuke, before she was rewarded by the asari's chest being pressed against her. Taut nipples conveyed Liara's mixture of excitement and cold. Or, at least Shepard hoped it was excitement. It would be awful if Liara was just doing this to satisfy Shepard's extremely potent needs. "Now, where were we?"

It was with romanticised ease that Shepard pushed her knee back between Liara's legs. The asari shivered again, nails digging into bare shoulders as the Commander grinded her leg against her.

"I-I missed you..." Liara whispered into the darkness, and Shepard hummed very softly in answer, dipping her head down and trailing a set of open-mouthed kisses along the silky line of the asari's neck. Her fingers dug into flesh as her core panged in slight jealousy at a gentle moan.

It felt like an age since she had last held the asari – her scent was teasing and sweet, reflecting her past innocence. Shepard found Liara's lips and kissed her fiercely, groaning softly as that malleable mouth yielded under her ministrations.

"Shepard… let me assist you." Liara murmured sultrily, and she gently pushed the Commander away. Shepard blinked owlishly in the dark, and allowed the asari to tenderly ease her backwards until she was settled on the lip of the pool.

"Mm… Commander," Liara purred. Shepard could almost taste the smirk she must have been wearing. It did nothing to quell her rising yearning. "I've been a bad girl."

Shepard's mouth went dry, but she unstuck her throat, "Oh yeah? How so?" She felt herself being pushed onto her back – the water lapped against her skin as she settled on the smooth stone, chilling her as an icy breeze kissed her naked flesh. She shivered slightly, and then her breath hitched as she felt her legs being pried open. There was the sound of water moving, and a warm hand brushed gently over her thigh.

"I've been disobeying your orders, Commander."

Shepard tensed and then swallowed, her poor mind torn between questioning which orders Liara had went against, and the teasing fingers which were tracing a scorching path up her leg.

"Which… which ones have you disobeyed?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Liara murmured as she finally reached her goal. Shepard sucked in a breath, her eyes falling closed as familiar finger tips traced over her. Teasingly, the asari touched her – it was with an almost cautious air. Shepard sighed, wishing she could see her partner's face in the deep dark.

Then she felt the shadow of a tongue against the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, and the ghost of teeth. She felt herself clench around nothing – it had been a while since Liara had had her way with her. Back on the Normandy, it had all been about reassuring the asari that Shepard was still there. Now… now it seemed that Liara had taken matters into her own hands. And tongue, Shepard thought dazedly as she felt an inquisitive, experimental little lick even closer to where she ached.

...

Dawn bled into the sky with all the rich charisma of fresh blood – mesmerising to look at, uncomfortable to touch. The cave was still dark, but comfortably dry; Shepard lay awake, staring up at the ceiling while Liara snored gently beside her. Her mouth tasted awful and she longed for a toothbrush, or at least some mouthwash. She moved her tongue, swallowing and twisting her face slightly.

She had been laying there for the past hour – staring at nothing but stone. There was something not right. She felt as though she had missed something, like she had expected a step only to be met with flat floor. The barren emptiness in her gut only grew as she fidgeted under the thick cloak Hawke had provided. The pack proved as a mediocre pillow – Liara was using her shoulder, and her arm had long since gone numb.

The Commander paused in her thoughts when the asari began to stir; she felt a stray leg shift and slide away.

It was then that the vivid light of the sun slapped her in the face. Blinded, she let out a yell as light brushed its way over the cave, and would (for a few minutes) light the entire cave, all the way to the back, and where the pool lay.

"Shepard!" Liara gasped, instantly alert. The Commander continued cradling her smarting eyes, waving a hand dismissively.

"I'm fine. I'm fine."

"No. Shepard, look at this!" The excitement and wonder in Liara's voice was enough for the Commander to let go of her eyes. She blinked, nonplussed at what the asari was so excited about, but by a swift tap on her shoulder, she looked to the left, to the very back of the cave.

The dawn sunlight had burnished the stone a gorgeous gold, and had thrown glimmering shadows of the water into relief. However, that wasn't what she was ogling at.

Above the pool, in all its glory, was a cave painting of a reaper.