Notes: Language warning thanks to Jack.
"Shepard! Why didn't you tell me we were heading to Thessia?" Liara's voice pierced the relative silence in Shepard's cabin. The Commander was sitting on her bed, staring up through the large window at the stars as they flitted by. A chuckle nearly left her when she realized Liara had neither asked for permission nor had EDI mentioned the asari was on her way up.
Shepard sat up a bit more. The tone of voice was hard to discern but the look on the asari's face told all: she wasn't mad. She almost seemed... delighted. Happy that they were returning to her home despite the carnage? Liara almost looked like the happy maiden that Shepard had rescued on Therum. The response was a little baffling though. Liara had been so distraught when Shepard had failed to get the Prothean VI.
Before Shepard could explain herself the asari almost seemed to teleport to the bed. She joined the Commander on it, linking her arm with Shepard's.
"Sorry, I was going to tell everyone when we got closer. It's a relatively safe place and I'm sure it's still beautiful despite the Reaper damage. And... I'm sure they still have doctors to help me get fighting fit," Shepard said. Doctors and more doctors. I'm sick of them. They're stifling...
Liara lightly kissed Shepard's cheek.
"If there's one place you can heal in peace it's Thessia. Maybe my house still stands," Liara said.
"You own a house?" Shepard asked. She knew about the apartment on Illium but a house?
"It's... it was my mother's. But it is mine now," Liara said. Pain could be seen in the asari's eyes at the mention of Matriarch Benezia. Instinctively, Shepard took her lover's hand and gently squeezed to show support.
Shepard didn't even blink when Liara carefully clambered into the Commander's lap. She did smile however and put her arms around the asari, kissing her temple. Liara was surprisingly light for someone with such height. Or maybe Shepard was just that strong and resilient.
"We have doctors who can check your implants and use their biotics to help soothe your muscles. And they're very professional. They'll know how to care for a soldier. We may not be front-line material in a war but we know how to fix those who are. Well, I mean... they do. I'm just an archaeologist, not a medical doctor. And, Doctor Chakwas is very good at what she does but you need to be in a place that is calm and peaceful. It's all about a state of mind after all," Liara said, dropping into babble mode. A smile quirked at Shepard's features.
Her unarmored hand rose to gently rub along the asari's crest. When she'd first attempted it she had expected Liara to purr. She didn't know why, it seemed a little... racist? To think she would. Instead she had received a soft murmur of delight from the touch. This time was no different. The asari closed her eyes and leaned into the touch, a soft moan leaving her. Shepard didn't bother to tease the asari about her earlier babbling.
"You are very good at getting me to be quiet," Liara said, glancing up at the Commander.
"And making you very loud," Shepard quipped which caused the asari to blush purple.
Shepard smiled, continuing to rub her lover's crest.
"How did you find out we were heading to Thessia anyways?" Shepard asked.
"I overheard Joker talking with EDI about it," Liara said, shrugging. She nuzzled into Shepard's throat softly. Shepard's hands rubbed along Liara's lower back, finally dropping from her crest.
"I hope there are some parts of Thessia that weren't hit by the Reapers... I really want to see the Thessia you knew before you ever met me," Shepard said idly, resting her chin on Liara's head.
"Judging by Earth, Illium, and Palaven, I imagine there are parts that weren't hit too terribly badly. Not to mention my own studies... and Eden Prime didn't seem too worse for wear considering it was one of the Protheans' final battles against the Reapers," Liara said.
"Yeah but Eden Prime had 50,000 years to get back into shape," Shepard pointed out.
"Very true," Liara admitted.
The rest of the trip to Thessia was pretty uneventful. Shepard checked in on her crew she had sent scattered across the galaxy, doubting very much she'd have a chance while being rehabilitated on Thessia.
The holo-meeting with Jack was the most... interesting.
"When the fuck are you ever going to listen to me, Shepard? Cerberus is like an army of cockroaches. You think you've finished them off then they pop their fucking heads up once again!" Jack burst out angrily. Shepard was resting in her chair in front of her personal terminal. She shifted her body a little bit to regard the ex-convict with as much patience as she could.
"Excuse me for assuming if I cut off the head that the rest of the organization would fall apart. Miranda told me the cells don't act without his consent and-" Shepard said.
"No offense Shepard but Miranda was fucking Cerberus," Jack cut the Commander off.
"'Was' being the operative word, Jack. She cut ties remember? She gave us a lot of good intel on Cerberus when we needed it most and that intel also killed a lot of Cerberus troops. If she were a double agent, we'd know by now," Shepard said sharply.
"For fuck's sake, Shepard. You always want to see the fucking good in people," Jack said, throwing her hands into the air on her side of the quantum entanglement call.
"Yeah, and if I hadn't I'd never have rescued you and kept you on when I didn't have need of you anymore. I knew there was more to Subject Zero than a foul mouthed ex-convict psychotic biotic bitch," Shepard argued, folding her arms across her chest.
"You kept that fucking merc, Zaeed, on too. Where's the good in him?" Jack retorted.
"He saved countless lives and he's given me damn good intel on the Blue Suns. He may seem like a bastard but his experiences have made it to where he isn't just doing what he does for money anymore. He'd have flown the coop otherwise but he still helps us against Cerberus," Shepard said. Plus... part of me feels like he views me as a child he never had. Of course, I could totally be misreading but he seemed extremely concerned when we spoke last night...
"I still don't trust him," Jack said in a way that made Shepard believe all too rightly that she had won the argument.
"You don't trust anybody," Shepard said. She instantly regretted it when the holographic form of Jack stiffened and she swore she saw hurt in the biotic's eyes.
"You wouldn't trust people either if you'd been through what I have," Jack said, rehashing the same argument they'd had when Shepard had rescued the ex-convict from Purgatory.
"Maybe. But the fact remains, I trust him and I trust you. I wish you'd trust me in turn. Or at the very least trust my decisions. Considering I've kept us alive I don't see why you can't," Shepard said, shaking her head.
"Of course I fucking trust your decisions. I may not agree with them but I trust you know what you're doing," Jack said, crossing her own arms across her chest.
"Good. How are things with the colonies? How are your kids?" Shepard asked, moving on to the real reason she had called.
"Rodriguez isn't the princess she was when you rescued us from Grissom Academy. She's got balls, now. I think the war hardened her up and has made her stronger. Prangley's fields are stronger than I could hope for. The rest are working perfectly together. I think I have you to blame for all of this," Jack said.
"Blame for all of what?"
"For me being able to pull the team together and have them reach the potential buried inside. You have a way of doing that with people. Looks like I learned more from you than just keeping a few teenagers' morale up. I don't think I'm going to fucking forgive you for making me a helpful member of society, by the way."
"Terribly sorry. But you had to grow up sometime."
"Yeah yeah. We're headed to New Canton as we speak. Intel your blue girlfriend gave us says there's something amiss there. I'll let you know what we find."
Shepard narrowed her eyes a little bit at the mention of Liara.
"Blue girlfriend?" Shepard asked.
"Don't fucking play stupid, Shepard. I'm not blind. There's been something between you two since I fucking met you," Jack replied.
"I'm shocked you can keep such things a secret," Shepard said, her mouth thinning slightly. Were they that damn obvious about their attraction to each other?
"I fucking know how to keep secrets, Shepard. And it seemed like you really wanted this one hidden. My lips are sealed. Though sooner or later that bitch from Horizon is gonna figure it out. I'm honestly surprised she hasn't already. Must be blind and dumb," Jack said, scoffing a little.
"That's not fair, Jack. Ashley has been pretty damn busy. We all have. And maybe it's not so much that we're bad at hiding things than it is you're great at reading people," Shepard said, playing into Jack's ego.
"Keep telling yourself that, Shepard. Though you probably should tell her before she walks in on you two humping like wild animals," Jack said, not buying a word Shepard said.
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I should let you go, I imagine you have loads to do to prepare your kids for New Canton," Shepard said dryly.
"Oh fuck you. But you're right. Don't get killed," Jack said before cutting the connection. Shepard sighed then rubbed her forehead a bit.
The arrival at Thessia was extremely smooth. They couldn't much tell from above how much of the planet had been ravaged by the Reapers but the smoke that was once seen from space was no longer around. That had to count for something.
Joker couldn't touch down planet-side anywhere near the hospital that Liara had found that was still operational and had the best staff. So, they took the UT-47A Kodiak planet-side. Ashley drove officially because Shepard shouldn't drive in her condition but unofficially because nobody wanted to brave her driving again.
Ashley set the Kodiak down in front of the hospital. It had a few stories to it though it was obvious before the Reapers invaded it had been taller. The asari had been quick to patch up their hospitals which was an obvious decision.
Liara and Ashley helped the Commander out of the shuttle and to the front door. Once inside they were greeted by an asari nurse.
"Commander Shepard, it is an honor to have you here," the nurse said, giving a bow of the head.
"Thanks. I'm glad Thessia is rebuilding. I wish I had seen it before the war," Shepard said, glancing around the hospital. It was as spotless as it could be despite the destruction outside.
"As do I. But, some parts of Thessia are still gorgeous. If you would follow me please we have a room waiting for you," the nurse said, gesturing with one hand.
Shepard nodded and limped after the nurse with Ashley and Liara flanking her.
The room ended up being quite a luxurious affair. It looked ten times better than Ashley's room at Huerta Memorial had been and five times as better as the hospital room on Illium. Shepard couldn't help but feel flattered but a little uneasy that they were going so far out of their way to make her comfortable. She would've been fine with the accommodations Ashley had had on the Citadel. She didn't say anything though.
"Your records we received from Illium tell us a good portion of your injuries are healed. We anticipate that you will only need to be here another couple of weeks for rehabilitation and bandage changes," the nurse explained as she looked over a datapad that held the medical records that had been compiled. They weren't by any means complete since they only stretched back to right after the battle for Earth and the more extensive records were kept by the Alliance and a good portion of said records were classified.
"Yeah, I figured. What will this rehab entail?" Shepard asked as she got comfortable on the bed in a set of N7 sweats minus the hoodie she often wore on downtime.
"Helping you to regain motor control, muscle mass, and regain any weight you may have lost improperly," the nurse replied. She handed the datapad over for Shepard to sign-in. The Commander did so before leaning back once more on the bed.
"We will also be checking your mental functions to make sure you still know what you learned in your career," the nurse added as she took her datapad back.
"Sounds easy enough," Shepard said, flashing a smile.
It wasn't as easy as it sounded. The next couple of weeks were grueling, though her progress caused a stir in the hospital. They had not expected her to regain her mobility so quickly with controlled rehab. Shepard knew she had the Lazarus Project to thank for her quicker than expected recovery. On the other hand, the rehab wasn't as bad as basic training or the N7 training she had endured.
This time, she didn't sign out of the hospital AMA. The doctor overlooking her progress had given the OK as she saw no reason the Commander had to stay in the hospital if she could walk and run without a single stumble. Shepard was ecstatic to have full control of her body back. But... she felt guilty. Joker would never feel such a thing. There wasn't a miracle cure for his Vrolik Syndrome and no amount of rehab would give him strong bones. If it bothered Joker to see how easy it was for Shepard to heal he didn't let on.