"Remember the old days when you could just slap omni-gel on everything?"
.
Damn it, this isn't good. They've been gone for too long. How long can it take to bring her a datapad? Tali came back hours ago and she didn't say a word about what had happened... Why didn't she take me with her on this mission? I've already proven my value...
"Ms. Lawson, you've asked me to inform you about Commander Shepard's arrival." EDI's blue avatar appeared and Miranda's head shot up.
"Is she..." she cleared her throat, not wanting to sound too desperate, even if she was just talking to an AI. "Is she alright?"
"Yes, Ms. Lawson. Commander Shepard's vital signs show no life threatening damages."
"That's... good... Can you tell me where she is right now?"
"Commander Shepard is on the CIC deck, Ms. Lawson. Would you like me to patch a message through?"
"Thanks, EDI, that won't be necessary."
Miranda jumped out of her chair and raced towards the elevator.
The sight that greeted Miranda as she stepped out of the elevator wasn't exactly the one she'd hoped for...
There was Shepard, standing by the Galaxy Map, her back towards the elevator and next to her...
Oh, great, she brought the asari with her! Does she have to lean in this close?
Miranda felt a sudden rush of jealousy at the sight in front of her. The commander definitely seemed to be very quick in finding new love interests...
She turned her head quickly as she saw Shepard turning around. The commander looked around the CIC and spotted Garrus.
"Garrus, what about another trip? Are you interested in taking on the Shadow Broker himself?"
Of course... She just had to offer her help taking down one of the most powerful people in the whole galaxy...
Garrus nodded eagerly and, with a quick sideglance at Miranda, he answered, "I'm all yours, Shepard."
Shepard smiled and winked at him. "I know you are..."
As soon as they'd reached Hagalaz, the shuttle left the Normandy and approached the Shadow Broker's ship silently. Inside the shuttle, Liara was surprised at the rising heat inside of her as she realized how much she enjoyed sitting next to Shepard again, quickly following the commander as if not to lose that feeling, as Shepard stepped in front of the window, watching the ship in front of them growing bigger and bigger while the pilot searched for a landing spot.
At the same time, Miranda was standing by the window in her office, watching the shuttle disappear in the storm surrounding the Shadow Broker's base with a concerned look on her face and an unsettling feeling in her stomach.
"Liara, now!"
The shockwave of the exploding yagh sent both Shepard and Liara flying backwards. While Shepard looked around her in amazement of what they'd just accomplished, Liara was back on her feet quickly and approached Shepard, who gladly took the offered hand. The two of them looked at each other for a brief moment, Liara breathing heavily, still overwhelmed by the events of the past hours.
A sudden movement to her right caught Shepard's attention and she hurried over to help Garrus who was struggling to get up, leaving Liara on her own. Nevertheless, Liara quickly shoved the boiling emotions aside and made her way over to the Shadow Broker's terminal.
Whether it was the still lingering shock of the previous events or Shepard's presence who gave Liara the confidence to answer the Shadow Broker's agents transmissions, she couldn't say, but Liara suddenly found herself ordering status reports on all operations from Shadow Broker agents before she ended the transmission.
"Goddess of oceans, it's you. You... how?"
Feron's voice made Liara turn around. "Well, everyone who's ever seen him in person is dead. So..."
"You're the new Shadow Broker," Feron stated unnecessarily.
"Is taking over as the Shadow Broker really a good idea?"
Liara relaxed at Shepard's concerned tone.
"It was either that or lose everything. His contacts, his trading sources... those will really help us," she explained, trying to keep her emotions in check. "With the Shadow Broker's information network I can..." She stopped, forcing her voice to stop trembling, but failing. "I can give you... I can..."
Feron sensed the change and quickly spoke, "I'll, uh... check the power systems."
He turned around and signaled Garrus to follow him, giving Shepard and Liara the privacy they both seemed to need.
Shepard watched the two of them exit the room, then turned to Liara.
"Is there anything I can do for you, Ms. Lawson?"
Miranda took a deep breath, then answered, "Kelly, I don't usually like to discuss personal matters and it certainly is not my concern how you use our extranet but it has come to my attention that you've sent Commander Shepard a significant amount of messages and... pictures, which I don't want to discuss right now but-"
"-Wait, you're reading my messages?"
Not your messages...
The two women both turned as the Normandy's airlock opened, revealing a grinning Garrus.
"They still make quite the team..." he said and was quickly answered by Joker's voice over the intercom.
"Told you!"
"They're still... I mean..." Miranda cursed herself for sounding like the nervous wreck she was inside and Garrus, as expected, immediately noticed her concerned expression.
"Indeed, Ms. Lawson. Figured, they'd need some privacy after all that had happened. I'm sure they have a lot of catching up to do, based on the looks they gave each other throughout the mission..." he said and patted Miranda's shoulder, entering the elevator too quick for Miranda to react.
Kelly's eyes softened as she saw Miranda clenching her teeth. "Is everything alright, Ms. Lawson?"
Miranda turned her head to face Kelly, the all-familiar stern look back on her face again. "Of course," she said. "I simply don't want to delay our mission any longer than is absolutely necessary..."
Kelly smiled at Miranda warmly as she asked, "You're that eager to start our suicide mission? Don't worry, I'm sure we will get our closure soon enough..."
As soon as Miranda noticed Kelly's intention to hug her, she quickly took a few steps back and desperately hammered at the elevator controls.
Liara felt Shepard's hand on her arm and she quickly turned around, facing the commander with tears running down her cheeks.
"It's over. It's finally... For two years..." she started but was cut short as Shepard took her in her arms for a tight embrace.
"It's alright," Shepard whispered before she released her again.
The embrace was the last thing that was needed to break Liara's already weak resolve. She closed the gap between them again and captured Shepard's lips in a soft kiss.
Surprised by her own boldness, she released Shepard quickly and took a step back.
"It's been two years... I don't... We're different people. You have your mission and..." she started but was cut short again as Shepard snaked her arms around Liara's waist, pulling her closer only to lock lips with her again. More determined this time. Liara's hand automatically found its way up, running through Shepard's hair before they broke the kiss, Liara's head lightly bowed but still staying near Shepard's face.
"Okay... okay..." she murmured as she felt her racing heart slowing down just enough to enable her to speak again.
"Okay," Shepard said softly, watching Liara carefully as if concerned her legs might give way under her, which Liara herself feared at that moment as well.
This is my own fault, I could have had her. If I wouldn't have been so bloody stubborn, if I'd been honest... Damn it!
Miranda's thoughts were racing once again while she tried to concentrate on a report on her terminal. She had lost Shepard, she was sure of it. The smile on Shepard's face as she'd returned from the Shadow Broker base had been pretty telling. They'd left Hagalaz, leaving Liara at the base, but what did that matter now? Shepard seemed happy and she didn't want any visitors, judging by the locked door Miranda had found as she'd decided that it was still her duty to make sure the commander was feeling well, especially after the last time she'd visited Liara... so she just had to go check on her.
But a locked door couldn't keep Miranda Lawson from fulfilling her obligations. And after a few quick commands, her terminal blinked and revealed Shepard's messages. It certainly wouldn't hurt to monitor those for a while to see if a certain asari doctor decided to give her a thorough description of past events...