The price
Shepard was wearing his dress uniform. He was standing in a room with only a little bit of light. The lack of light reflected his feelings perfectly. He felt cold and alone. He felt the darkness and sorrow deep in his heart and bones. He had suffered many losses, witnessed his friends die, but even the hardened solider had his limits. This was his breaking point. He had lost the man who had been the closest thing to a father for him. He had been the man he looked up to. He was the one who had guided him to become the man he was today. The loss of David Anderson, his surrogate father was too much for him to bare. Silent tears ran down on the commanders face.
Liara walked down on a hallway looking for Shepard. She checked every room until she found him standing alone in the dark. She silently stepped into the room and walked towards him. She stopped on her tracks when she saw something. Something on his face was reflecting the faint light. Were those tears? Was he crying? Liara thought and stood there silently. Then she could hear the faintest sound coming from him. He was definitely crying. Liara knew that he was in agony. She knew what Admiral Anderson had meant for him. Without thinking she rushed over to him and sealed him into a tight embrace and held him in her arms.
With Liara there with him Shepard managed more or less to pull himself back together. She had an amazing effect on him. In the second she had hugged him he could feel the warmth and love she radiated. There she was, comforting him. For a brief moment Shepard felt that all was right in the world. But then the harsh reality pushed its way back into his mind and he fell back to his grief. If it had been anybody else in the room Shepard would have suppressed his feelings and put on the "commander Shepard" face. But this was Liara. She knew him better than anyone. She was the only person he felt he could fully open up to. He shared a special bond with her and it was ridiculous how perfectly they fit together and how perfectly they understood each other. And right now Shepard felt so lucky for having her in his life.
Liara tightened her hold on him as he laid his head on her shoulder. She could feel him shivering. She hated seeing him like this. She hated to see all that agony and pain in his eyes, torturing his very soul. She whispered comforting words to his ear and planted gentle kisses to his forehead and cheek. She didn't know what else to to but at least it seamed to work a little bit. Liara knew that just by being there she was helping him.
After a while Liara gently ran her finger on his cheeks and wiped away the remaining tears from his face. " Its time" She whispered softly and loosened her hold on him. Shepard took a deep breath and straightened his back. He looked at Liara and took her hand.
"I cant do this without you Liara" He said and looked her in the eyes. Liara squeezed his hand a bit more tightly. Then they exited the room together.
Admiral Anderson's memorial service was held on London. People all around the galaxy had come to honor the fallen hero. Shepard could see just how many people had come to the service as he walked to the speakers podium. He felt very uneasy being there. He wasn't afraid or anything but the situation was very difficult for him. He was about to speak about the man who sacrificed his own life for the galaxy. He was about to speak about the man who had shaped him into the man he was today. Shepard scanned the audience with his eyes. Eventually he found the face he was looking for in the second row. Shepard looked briefly into Liara's eyes and gathered his strength. He cleared his throat and began.
"David Anderson was a hero..."
Authors notes: Sorry for the long break. I was doing my military service so I didn't have the time to write anything. But I do have the key story ready in my head and now I just need to find the time and words to post it here.
I will change the way I write this story by making shorter chapters so I can just write what is in my mind and not force in some additional content.
