TWELVE:
Desire
Enlightenment
Home
Goddess.
The gentle kiss lingered for several heartbeats as they held each other in the moonlight, then Shepard pushed harder – slowly, Liara responded. Her face tilted up, her hands slid down Shepard's arms to her shoulders then her back. Blue lips locked onto pink as the kiss deepened, and she groaned from the first tantalizing brush of Shepard's tongue.
She pulled them backwards, taking awkward steps, towards the patio couches stationed under a pavilion of cloth and wood. Liara turned, pressing Shepard down, moving with her to straddle her lap. Their lips never parted.
She felt her robe open with a rush of cool night air, only to be replaced by the fierce heat from Shepard as the woman pulled her close. Her head was swimming now – past reason and control – well into the nebulous realm of lust and desire. Her heart pounded in her chest as her lungs started to burn.
She gasped as their lips broke and her hands found Shepard's hair. She ran her fingers through it, gripped it, pulling her face up as Shepard's mouth found her neck. Shepard's hands roamed her body – caressing, squeezing, re-acquainting herself with the terrain. Both of them groaned as Shepard bit down, squeezing Liara's ass in a firm grip, pulling her even closer.
Liara felt her eyes darken.
N-no, she screamed at herself. Not y-yet.
She bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out as Shepard's mouth moved down her throat, to the valley between her breasts. Pale fingers raked across naked blue thighs. Her hips were moving on their own now, slowly grinding against the human on instinct. The savage heat between her legs burned hotter every second.
Wisps of biotic energy danced across her skin like purple smoke. She arched her back as Shepard's mouth found a nipple and her hands slid up the sides of her torso. She released her hair in a rush, gripped a shoulder and covered her mouth with the other, whimpering.
She screwed her eyes shut against the instinct to meld. N-not…yet!
She was panting now with effort, her body trembling. She gripped Shepard's shirt, ripping it open in her lust-fueled haze, baring Shepard's breasts to the moonlight. Her right hand returned to the scarlet locks as her left roamed across scarred flesh. She felt every ridge, every divot, every lump. She felt Shepard's straining muscles as she passed her navel. She pulled Shepard's mouth up to hers in a crushing kiss as her blue hand dove into the heat beneath her sweats.
A furnace of squishy, slick wetness met her fingers.
She felt Shepard shudder – groaning into her mouth.
Then she felt the warmth of Shepard's hand brush her azure.
The kiss broke as she fell forward, gripping the top of the sofa as her back arched. She buried her face in Shepard's neck in a wordless gasp, latching onto the woman's neck to stifle another cry as a slender finger penetrated her.
C-can't…hold much…longer, she desperately fought to control her desire to meld.
Shepard turned to her, kissing along her jawline towards her mouth. Fierce green eyes locked onto savage blue.
'I've missed you, Blue.'
Liara tried to answer, but words wouldn't come. She felt her face lock in ecstasy – eyes wide, mouth open, utterly incapable of any other expression. She whimpered again as their lips crashed together again, tongues dancing.
She couldn't hold. Her walls were breaking as the aching need for release built inside. Both were shuddering harder, now – unable to fight the inevitable.
'Oh, Goddess,' she managed to moan.
'It's ok, Blue,' Shepard panted. 'Do it.'
She threw her head back with a moan as cerulean eyes flooded to oily black.
Shepard felt the surge of alien invasiveness in her mind; a flood of sensation assaulted her in a rush of overwhelming need. She felt their bodies entwine – her perceptions shifting as she felt Liara's aching desire – and Liara felt hers. Wetness, heat, tingling skin, heaving breaths, burning lungs, clenching muscles.
As the connection deepened, she felt her mind.
A tidal wave of emotion erupted as two became one. Memories flashed in rapid sequence – bitter and joyous, cruel and hopeful, painful and rapturous – so powerful that their physical forms were all but forgotten as they writhed and cried out in ecstasy and agony.
The deepest, darkest places of themselves were laid bare; all the horror, the shame, the guilt and pain. Every hope, every dream, every moment of longing and unspoken desire. Above all – the brilliant, searing love of two souls who realized at last that they both had made mistakes along the way. Both finally understood. With that enlightenment – an ocean of forgiveness exploded through their souls.
Shepard found herself standing, completely nude, in an ocean of stars. She knew without looking that her body was whole – pristine, without a single scar or blemish. She turned, feeling the approaching light of her lover.
Liara was love incarnate. Her body glowed from within as she padded towards her - smiling brightly, hips swaying, her feet sending gentle ripples out into the infinite. The cosmos reflected in her eyes – impossibly beautiful, utterly captivating.
Shepard felt her knees weaken. My God, Liara, she thought, sinking to her knees.
Flatterer, she heard Liara's sweet voice answer. She was smiling down at her, offering her hands. Up you get, my beautiful Shepard.
She felt her eyes water, even in this place. You know.
Liara's smile faltered, but never left. She reached down, cupping Shepard's face as she knelt. Yes, and you know as well, she paused to place a gentle kiss on Shepard's lips. You know.
Tears spilled from Shepard's eyes as she nodded. Part of her had always known – she was too afraid, to blind, to accept it. In her fear she buried her hopes, love and dreams under layers of self-deception, guilt, and pain. Liara saw everything – knew everything. There were no secrets here, only blissful forgiveness and understanding. Only love.
Shepard reached out, holding Liara's face in her hands.
Liara draped her arms over Shepard's shoulders as she ran her fingers through her hair.
I love you so much, two souls whispered in eternity.
Their lips met as the cosmos around them bloomed into brilliant white light.
Shepard felt Liara collapse on top of her as their chests heaved for breath. She held on to her limp body as they both shook – slick with sweat, spasming uncontrollably from exertion. The lingering sensations from the meld left her mind and body overloaded, brutally sensitive; she struggled to regain any sense of herself as she panted.
Liara seemed even more exhausted; like a boned fish. Shepard watched the flushed face of her lover as she struggled to open her eyes. She managed a weak smile, planting a soft kiss on her parted lips.
'You ok?'
'Mmm,' Liara managed.
Shepard chuckled. 'C'mon, lets get you to bed.'
After a few moments without any response, she cradled Liara's limp body into her arms. 'You owe me a new shirt, Blue,' she whispered with a grin as she carried her into the house.
Liara woke to the feeling of warmth surrounding her – wrapped in Shepard and soft sheets. Her fingers curled around silken locks. Shepard's scent filled her nostrils. She opened her eyes, following her hand as she explored the tapestry of scars under her touch.
Shepard, her heart ached. Goddess.
Her fingers traced the outline of her shoulder – the thin line where her true flesh met the numb synthetic covering of her artificial limb. It was noticeably colder than the rest of her – one of several painful reminders of what she sacrificed so others could live.
That horrible choice. Goddess! That impossible decision – how could one soul bear such a burden? No one should ever face such cruelty – to come so far, endure so much, only to find that at the end none of it made any difference. One choice – one alone – decided the fate of the galaxy.
She felt her eyes well with tears as she continued her exploration. Shepard snored quietly, utterly at peace. The scars on her face twitched as she slept. Liara brushed stray locks from her face gently.
Anderson. Thane. Miranda. Legion. Mordin. The Batarians killed by the Alpha Relay. Kaiden, killed on Virmire. So much death, so much guilt. She kept it all in – because she felt responsible. The weight dragged her down a dark path – a path she could not bare to share with anyone. A path that nearly consumed her – because she thought she was alone.
In her mind, she saw Shepard as she pressed the pistol to her head.
No, she tensed, she is here. That is all that matters, now.
She watched as Shepard's eyes fluttered open. Sleepy green orbs drifted to meet her gaze. A small smile curved across pink lips. Her arms tightened around Liara as she shifted, pressing their bodies tighter.
'Hey Blue,' she whispered, kissing Liara's head then her lips. Liara cupped her face with one hand, savoring the moment.
'Morning,' she smiled through the kiss. 'How did you sleep?'
Shepard's smile widened to a grin – earning a giggle from Liara as she pulled the Asari up onto her, kissing her again.
'Mmm,' Liara hummed, resting on her elbows as she cradled Shepard's head. She looked down at her, drinking in every detail of the woman's face – every freckle, every scar, the way the morning light danced in her emerald eyes.
'I will never leave you again,' the words fell from her lips, unbidden. She watched Shepard's face soften as her hands held Liara's cheeks – brushing imaginary tears away with her thumbs.
'Me neither Blue,' Shepard whispered. 'I'm home now.'
(A/N: Thank you all for reading. Think I'm going to take a break from this for a while – part of me feels like this has run its natural course. I might continue if inspiration strikes, who knows. Oh and sorry about this chapter being so short - this was waay outside my comfort zone lol. Thanks again)
