A/N: Thanks to Rae for her valuable input on getting this just right. Hope you guys enjoy!
Shepard woke up, finding herself completely relaxed and carefree on Miranda's bed. She hadn't felt this relaxed since she woke up on Lazarus station. Noticing that she was alone on the bed, Shepard sat up and scanned the room. An amused grin came to her face as she saw Miranda asleep at her desk. Throwing the covers off, she made her way over to Miranda and shook her awake.
"Mmmm?" Miranda murmured, still half-asleep.
"I didn't think it would be possible for the great and perfect Miranda Lawson to fall asleep at a lowly desk," Shepard teased, sitting on the desk next to Miranda.
"I'm not perfect," Miranda grumbled. "And your ass is on my desk," she said, her OCD throwing fits at the moment.
Shepard, knowing exactly how much what she was doing bothered Miranda, stayed exactly where she was. "Why didn't you sleep in the bed?" she asked, ignoring Miranda's death glare aimed at her behind.
"Because I had work to do," she replied, becoming annoyed at the game Shepard was playing. "You were also insatiable, so I had to remove myself the second you got drowsy. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to use my legs." Shifting her glare from Shepard's ass to her face, Miranda gave a look of annoyance. "Now, get your sexy ass off of my desk."
Shepard laughed at Miranda's frustrations. She knew that perhaps she was taking things with Miranda a bit fast, and that internally she was trying to compensate for the hurt that Liara had put her through. She immediately regretted the decision to think of Liara, because the ripping feeling returned to her chest. Putting on the best seductive smile that she could, she looked Miranda right into her eyes. "The bed looks so far away. Perhaps you could carry me over there?" she said enticingly, raising an eyebrow.
The look that Shepard gave her made the desire bubble up within Miranda. She swiftly swooped Shepard into her arms by her naked ass and carried her over to the bed. She threw Shepard on the bed and expertly slipped her way out of her outfit in the most seductive manner she could, letting Shepard appreciate every curve and angle of her body. Once free of clothing, she joined Shepard on the bed and got on top of her, capturing her lips in a hungry kiss that elicited a moan from Shepard.
Feeling the desire boiling within her, Shepard deepened the kis. She loved the feeling of the Cerberus operative on top of her, being led for once. Removing her hands from Miranda's hair, she gently traced a slow line down her spine, which sent shivers through Miranda's body. Finally reaching her destination, she firmly gripped both hands on Miranda's ass. But as soon as she had begun, she heard the door hiss open, startling the two women. "What the fuck!?" she screamed. Her eyes widened when she saw who was standing in the doorway.
Liara stormed through the Normandy with Garrus at her side, ignoring all other people she encountered. She demanded that Garrus first show her to Miranda's quarters. She would deal with Shepard later. The elevator ride, though only one level, was torturous in length. Tapping her foot impatiently, Liara was barely able to keep a leash on her biotics, and the seething anger she felt. Though she knew that she was partially to blame for this, she refused to listen to that voice at the moment. She was too hurt for such rational thoughts. The elevator finally reached their destination, and Liara followed Garrus out. They rounded a corner and Garrus stopped in his tracks, turning to Liara.
"That's her office there," Garrus pointed at a door in front of them. Not wanting to get in Liara's way any longer, Garrus went off to the main battery to find a place to lay low while she was on the ship.
Seeing that the door was locked, Liara made her way up to it and pulled out her omni-tool. She selected a hacking tool that she had received as payment for information that made some people very happy. It took several long, agonizing moments for the device to beep that it had unlocked. Steeling her courage, Liara pushed the release mechanism for the door and it opened. She stepped inside and immediately froze, her gaze fixated on the naked forms of Miranda and Shepard.
"What the fuck!?" she heard Shepard scream.
Liara did not move or react as Shepard and Miranda hastily put their clothes on. She believed Garrus when he had told her that Shepard had sex with Miranda. To walk in on them during the act was a completely different scenario. Goddess, why couldn't our reunion have gone how I thought it would? she silently asked herself, the pit in her stomach growing larger with every passing second. This is all wrong. It wasn't supposed to end up like this.
Liara was snapped out of her daze as Miranda placed her arm possessively around Shepard's waist, a cocky smile on her face. Seeing this, the small embers inside Liara that had slowly been growing erupted into a wild fire, swallowing her in a drowning rage. She flared her biotics, her body enveloped in an aura of dark energy. "Get your hands off of her," Liara seethed, tendrils of her biotics snapping all around her.
Shepard moved out of the way as Miranda's own biotics lit up. She knew that at this point, there was nothing she could say to diffuse the situation.
"Why should I?" Miranda asked challengingly. "Do not blame me for accepting what was offered," she taunted with a shrug of her shoulders, casting a hungry glare at Shepard. She was caught off guard when she was slammed into the far wall of her office by Liara's biotics.
"You bitch!" Liara yelled. Never before in her life had she felt such hatred for another person, save the Shadow Broker. She was going to make Miranda suffer for the agony she had been put through. As soon as Miranda was back on her feet, she threw another blast at her, slamming her into the wall again. She advanced towards Miranda, but was surprised when she was tossed back by a throw from Miranda. Her barrier kept her from flying into the wall, but she was still knocked off her feet and landed hard on the ground.
Miranda was on her as soon as Liara began to get up, throwing a warp field that Liara narrowly deflected. A bolt of energy from Liara dissipated her barrier and sent Miranda staggering backwards. "Just face it, T'Soni, nothing beats a human for another human," she said. "You were nothing more than a fancy alien piece of ass to her," Miranda taunted. She had never liked aliens that much, and Liara less so. It might have had something to do with the fact that the gorgeous Commander Shepard had chosen to be with an asari, rather than a human.
Liara let out a yell of anguish as she renewed her attack on Miranda. She threw bolt after bolt of dark energy towards the operative, not caring for her own physical limitations, nor showing any concern for the objects within the room.
Miranda was able to bring her barriers back up for the first couple of attacks, but they had quickly disappeared. She was slammed time and time again with bolts of energy, sending tendrils of pain throughout her body. She collapsed on the floor as Liara made her way across the room to her limp form. She looked into Liara's eyes and saw pure hatred within them, she hadn't thought the asari doctor capable of such feelings. Hearing the sound of a gun being armed, she was surprised to see Shepard standing behind Liara with a pistol pointed to her head.
"Liara! Get away from her," Shepard ordered, hand noticeably shaking with the fact that she had a pistol to Liara's head.
Liara snapped out of her angered daze and spun around, a horrified look on her face. "Isabelle?" She turned her head to see Miranda injured on the floor, blood coming from a few cuts on her body. What have I become? she thought to herself.
"Come with me. Now," Shepard said, motioning with her pistol towards the door.
Liara stepped back from Miranda, still shocked from everything that just happened. She nodded to Shepard slowly, and followed Shepard out of the office into the elevator. She saw Shepard hit the button for the top floor as she shipped her pistol, and the elevator door closed.
They began to rise when Shepard slammed the button to halt the elevator in place, and she whirled around to face Liara. "What the hell was that, Liara?" Shepard asked demandingly.
"I do not know," Liara said numbly. "I... lost control."
"Lost control?!" Shepard said, shocked. "Liara, you were going to kill her if I didn't stop you! What happened to you?" she asked, confused as to why her shy asari scientist was acting this way.
"You died," Liara replied coldly. Images of Shepard and Miranda naked together on Miranda's bed flashed through her mind, some of her anger returning. "Why did you sleep with Miranda?"
"Because you pushed me away, Liara!" Shepard shot back. "You made it very clear that you didn't want to be with me. After our kiss I thought everything would be back to the way it was, but then you completely pushed me out and shut me down!" she explained, hurt clear in her voice.
"Is that what you think?" Liara asked. "I needed time, Isabelle. Two years of mourning does not go away so easily."
"Really? You needed time? From my point of view, it looked like you didn't care at all!" Shepard yelled, tears forming in her eyes.
Those words stung deep within Liara, tears of her own forming. "You have no idea what I've done for you! No idea what I went through to bring you back!" She fired back, sobbing. "And now for you to go and sleep with Lawson, even though I am partially to blame, I cannot stand it. I can't be near you right now," she said, collapsing to the ground and crying into her hands.
"Liara, what do you mean? You brought me back?" Shepard asked, reaching down to try and comfort Liara.
"Why don't you ask Lawson?! You two seem really close now," Liara fired back harshly, flinching away from Shepard's touch. She was quickly becoming overwhelmed, and needed to get out of this space with Shepard. "I think we've said all that needs to be said. I need to get back to my work, I have important business to take care of," Liara said, putting on her cold mask that had become so familiar to her over the years.
Shepard shook her head, wanting to talk to Liara more. "Li, wait," she pleaded.
"Now, Shepard," Liara demanded, ice in her voice. She was on the verge of a breakdown, and did not wish to do so in front of Shepard.
Shepard recoiled at Liara not using her name. Begrudgingly, she hit the button for the CIC and stood in silence with Liara. The elevator chimed and before she could get another word in, Liara rushed out of the elevator and made her way out of the air lock moments later. All she could do was stand and watch Liara leave, shock not allowing her to go and chase after Liara.
Sighing, Shepard lowered her head and pressed the button for the crew deck. She needed to go and make sure Miranda was all right. I'm sorry, Liara. The words played through her mind during the elevator ride. The words she should have said that were blocked out by anger and hurt. I never thought it would come to this. Once again, Shepard found herself wishing that she had stayed dead. At least I wouldn't have caused Liara any extra pain.