Author's Note: Just a quickie this time, sorry. I have a fever and should be in bed, but you know... I wanted to post something.

Remember that I made a mix to go along, feel free to listen to it:
Just replace the DOT with a . because FFnet is giving me trouble :p
8tracksDOTcom/jay357/written-in-the-stars

Watching Shepard doing mundane things was soon becoming a serious distraction and addiction. But she just couldn't help herself. The woman seemed to ooze power and strength and Liara was mesmerized. Standing there in the middle of the CIC, talking to Samantha Traynor was the most captivating creature she had ever seen. She had donned her armor already, ready to get going. The Asari couldn't hear what the two of them were talking about, but she could see the sparkle in Traynor's eyes, an then the specialist laughed out loud. The Commander punched her into the shoulder, just lightly, but the smaller woman still stumbled back, grimacing and faking major pain. When a concerned Shepard came closer to take a look, Traynor flicked her ear with a finger, eliciting an honest "ouch" from her commanding officer.

Liara snickered gleefully before trying to hide her amusement... without success. An annoyed glare made her put her hand in front of her face and snicker even louder. Poor Shepard. She wasn't used to that kind of treatment. The Commander was obviously pondering whether to come over to Liara and teach her a lesson about laughing about your superiors, but her focus switched to the person closest to her. Next to the Commander stood a smirking Traynor who acted ever the innocent, before an armored fist grabbed her by the suit.

"C... Commander!"

Shepard was holding her up in the air, just inches away from the ground.

"You like it up there?"

"I..."

"Speak up, Specialist Traynor!"

Even though she was standing on the other side of the CIC, Liara could see that Shepard was trying hard not to reveal her amusement at the current situation. Traynor on the other hand didn't seem to notice, so focused was she on trying not to choke herself on her own suit. Liara tried hard not to give the Commander away by laughing out loud, so she bit her fingers, trying to stifle the sounds that were coming out of her.

"I... Yes, Ma'am!"

"Wonderful."

Shepard let the specialist drop to the ground, only to throw an arm around her shoulder in a comforting way. The Asari couldn't hear what the two of them were talking about now, but she could see that Traynor's usually tanned cheeks were beating red all of a sudden. Now she desperately wanted to hear what the two of them were talking about! But when the Commander let the younger woman off the hook, turned around and winked at Liara, all previous thoughts were suddenly forgotten. Who cared what they were talking about?

The devious smile that spread over Shepard's face reddened her face more than she wanted to admit. The Asari tried hiding her blush by turning around, but when she felt a familiar tingle creeping up her spine, she stopped moving, knowing Shepard was close.

"Hey."

An armored hand touched her lower back and Liara had to resist hard not to throw herself into those strong arms which were perfect for making her feel safe and protected. Instead, she grasped Shepard's hand and held it, all the while looking into the knowing eyes of her... her love? Her fingers started stroking the armor, knowing the Commander couldn't feel it, but she desperately wanted the other woman to know that she cared, that... Wait, no. No public displays of affection. Not yet.

"Shepard."

"Liara."

"I... Good luck on your rescue mission. Please don't crash the Kodiak again this time..."

"Hey, at least you won't be in it when we crash."

Liara glared at the Commander. She never got the Human's need to make stupid jokes. Shepard had obviously spent way too much time with Joker!

"Just take care of yourself and the others, will you?"

"You know, if you're that concerned about my welfare, you should've stayed on the team."

"I... You know I woul..."

"Yeah, I know. It's fine. You stay here and brush up on human sarcasm."

With that, the armored woman turned around and headed for the elevator to meet the others in the Shuttle Bay. Liara stayed behind, not knowing what to do with herself. The Asari rarely visited the CIC, and now that she was alone with people she barely knew, she felt more out of place than ever. For a moment she considered talking to Traynor, monitoring the mission, even though she knew Shepard would be safe with EDI on the mission... But that would only make it worse for herself, and surely Samantha had better things to do than reassure a nervous Asari. So Liara made up her mind and headed for her quarters.

Shadow Broker time.

TO BE CONTINUED.