"I have no clue, but I suppose it's rather cute." Liara suggested watching as the group conversed and laughed.
"Cute? Did you see the cult like shenanigans that we have just witnessed?" Garrus chuckled, and the tow walked over to the table to join the conversation.
Liara could remember the one time she had been there to celebrate Shepard's birthday, and let the memory pour into her as Normandy crawled into Liara's lap.
Liara walked to the cock pit and stared at the haze of purple that zoomed past them.
"Hey, what's up Doc?" Joker said with a funny accent, staring back at Liara as if expecting her to laugh, "Oh come on! Looney Tunes… human thing I guess."
"Joker no matter how hard you try, I'm probably never going to understand 90 percent of your jokes." Liara smiled and leaned against his chair with her arm.
"Hey, it's Shepard's birthday today; did you get her anything special?"
Liara stuttered with confusion.
"E-Excuse me? Why would I get Shepard anything for her birthday?"
"Oh… I guess you asari don't necessarily celebrate that kind of thing. Since us humans don't have a thousand years we celebrate our birthdays every year. It's kinda like a 'Yay I'm still alive!' kind of thing. We celebrate the fact that we've accomplished another year of life, and friends and family get together to party and give gifts to the person who survived another year."
"Goddess," Liara shook her head, "You make it sound like humans are in a constant state of dying. Like Shepard is dying soon."
"Well, Liara we only took down Saren a few months ago, and do you see what Shepard does every day? I mean, she kinda could die at any given moment… not to go all depressing on you or anything." Joker looked up with an awkwardly apologetic grimace.
Liara's heart dropped. It was true, Shepard was in a very prominent and constant state of danger.
It was very quiet in the pit for a few too many minutes.
"How old is she today?" Liara whispered.
"Twenty nine, I believe."
29, that meant that if Shepard was lucky, and did in fact live out her days to die of old age, Liara only had maybe one hundred years left with Shepard. She wouldn't even be a matron by the time Shepard passed.
Liara shivered in the non-existent cold.
"Well, I don't know what I could get her in the limited time I have." Liara stated.
"You don't have to give her any material item Liara, it's not required. I'd say later tonight put on the sexiest thing you own and have a good time, call that a present and Shepard will be totally happy with that." Joker smirked and Liara blushed.
Just then a pair of combat boots approached and Liara spun around to see Shepard approaching from the galaxy map. Joker tapped the asari's shoulder and whispered in her ear.
"When she comes up, say 'Happy birthday'."
"Oh, okay." Liara looked back up to see her lover right in front of her. Gigantic green eyes peered down at the asari with happiness. Liara blushed again.
"Happy Birthday, Commander." Liara smiled and Shepard kissed her quickly.
"Thanks. I'm thinking today maybe we could all go to the Citadel for some shore leave, maybe get dinner and drinks to celebrate?"
"I'm so down." Joker called from the pilots chair.
Shepard turned to the galaxy map and smiled.
"Alright then Joker, point us towards the Citadel."
Just then the com link lit up and Admiral Hackett sounded through the speakers.
"Sorry to ruin your plans Commander, but I have an emergency that only you can handle. Geth have invaded a colony in the Kite's Nest cluster, I need you down their asap to recover a scientist of ours and get her out of there."
Joker groaned, "There goes shore leave."
"We'll do something else, we have drinks on board, and maybe we can all do something after the mission. Liara, get Ashley and gear up. Let's do this quick and clean."
Liara nodded and shuffled to the bunker, when they arrived at the colony all hell broke loose. Swarms of geth met them at the landing zone and after hours, they had almost reached the main building.
Rockets crashed and Liara's ears rang, a shock trooper turned the corner and Liara set him flying in one powerful throw. Shepard was next to Liara, and the woman popped up, starting to move to the next row. Liara spotted a sniper on the top of the building, its red laser landing on Shepard's helmet.
"Shepard!" Liara called and stood, throwing herself into Shepard as a single bullet flew past them. The two landed behind another barrier, a heap of clattering armor and helmets.
"Liara? What the-"
"Sniper!" Liara pointed just as Ashley brought the sniper down.
"I owe you one." Shepard breathed as Liara helped her up.
"More than one." Liara mumbled, staring at the bullet that had shattered the barriers behind them, the same bullet that could have penetrated Shepard's helmet. The same bullet that could have taken Liara's lover from this world.
"You alright Liara?" Shepard's voice pulled Liara back into reality.
"Yes, fine. Let's do this." Lara put on a fake face and charged into the building.
The Mako was standing by for extraction, Shepard leaned back in the drivers seat, and Ashley sat silently in the passenger's. Liara was in the back, her elbows on her knees and her hands held her head up. She was still trying to catch her breath.
"Goddammit." Shepard cussed and pounded on the dashboard with a single hand.
They were too late, the scientist was dead by the time to trio had reached her, and in the midst of the chaos they had almost been blown up in a huge bomb planted in the colony. They'd barely made it out and not without a being flung a hundred feet by the bomb's force. Liara had landed on her knees, and they throbbed with ache. Her forearms were badly bruised as well.
"We were close Shepard, but there is nothing you could have done to change this." Ashley whispered from the passenger's seat. She had landed on her back, and it was obvious she was in a lot of pain.
"I just don't like losing people." Shepard sighed and stood. She was the only one of the group that hadn't been flung so violently. She approached Liara and knelt in front of her. Shepard took her helmet off, green eyes rimmed with tears, face smeared with dirt and blood from a small cut on her forehead.
Liara took her armored gloves off, placing both of her hands on Shepard's cheeks. The human put her hands on top of the asari's and leaned into Liara's chest.
A few moments of silence passed before the Commander lifted her face again.
"Liara, are your knees alright?'
"They'll be fine." Liara replied and ran a hand through Shepard's short red hair.
Liara walked into Shepard's cab later that day. Her body was still sore, and she doubted she'd be giving Shepard anything tonight due to the condition she was in. The door opened for her, and she leaned against the wall, finding Shepard at her desk. The asari walked up the woman and draped her arms around her from behind the chair.
" I was just about to get in the shower." Shepard looked up at the asari, tired eyes glazed with disappointment meeting the asari's lonely blues.
