Chapter Twenty Five:

Liara winced as she stepped past the bouncer at Flux, resisting the temptation to lift her hands and block out the loud music. The deep, steady throb of the bass threatened to swallow her up, and she was only a few feet through the door. She knew Tali felt differently, but visiting the casino always set Liara on edge. She did not like noise or crowds, and Flux was filled with both. Squinting her eyes to ease the discomfort of the flashing, multicolored lights, she pulled a little closer to Shepard, who was standing to her left.

Shepard read the discomfort in her body language immediately, letting her fingertips stroke briefly against the side of Liara's arm. Even through the material of her white and green jumpsuit, Liara felt a tingle where the pressure of Shepard's hand had been. She tried to relax as Ashley Williams stepped up beside them, slowly scanning the club. "Anderson's got to be here somewhere," she said, although Liara could barely hear her over the music. "Did he tell you where he was going to wait, Commander?"

"I got the message second-hand," Shepard explained, and Liara blushed as she remembered Joker's untimely interruption. Part of her still could not believe that she had finally received her first kiss. Her lack of romantic and sexual experience had never bothered her much before, but now, with what might be the end of the galaxy looming over them, she wished she had taken more chances. It was a little depressing to think that she could have been kissing Shepard for weeks, maybe even months, before this if she had simply asked. Although she was grateful that Shepard had taken the time to get to know her, Liara silently resolved not to let any more opportunities slip by.

Beside her, Shepard lifted her hand, gesturing at one of the tables. "There, in the back. Let's go." A large, muscular man with close-cropped hair and dark skin was looking over at them, and although Liara had not met him in person before, she recognized him from the descriptions the other squadmates had given her. This had to be Captain Anderson.

The crowd parted effortlessly for Shepard as she moved past the dance floor and the bar, heading directly for Anderson's table, and Liara could not resist staring for a moment before she followed. Shepard's confident, determined stride had returned, and Liara was happy to see it again after their conversation by the lockers.

Finally, they reached the table, and Shepard slid into the seat across from Anderson. Liara automatically took up her usual position just behind Shepard's right shoulder, glancing over just in time to see Ashley do the same on her left. It was a habit they had fallen into during missions, since Shepard nearly always took point.

"I'm glad you came, Shepard," Anderson said, leaning forward a little to be heard over the noise. Even though she knew very little about him, Liara could tell that he was clever. Obviously, he had picked Flux for the privacy in plain sight that it offered, even if the loud music was distasteful.

"They pulled me off the mission, Anderson, just like when they forced you to give up the Normandy."

"I know, I'm sorry. I wanted to warn you, but there was no way to get a message to you before you docked. I know you're pissed off right now, but you can't give up. They all think this is over, but we both know it's not. You have to go to Ilos! You have to stop Saren from using the Conduit!"

Shepard sighed, resting her elbows on the edge of the table. "There's only one ship that can get me into the Terminus Systems undetected, and it's grounded."

"It's a good thing you called, Sir," Ashley said to Anderson. "T'Soni and I were going to ask Joker to blast us out of the docking bay next." Shepard gave Liara a sidelong look, and she blushed when she noticed the Commander's raised eyebrow, clearing her throat and glancing away.

Anderson snorted. "I don't think we'll have to do anything that drastic, Chief Williams. Citadel Control's locked out all the Normandy's systems. If we override the Ambassador's orders, we can get them to bring the Normandy back online." He turned back to Shepard. "You can be in the Terminus Systems before anyone even knows you're gone."

Shepard's lips twitched into an uncertain frown. "If we steal the Normandy, you're the one left holding the bag."

"And if Saren finds the conduit, life as we know it is over," Anderson insisted. "The Reapers will destroy us. You're the only one who can stop them, Shepard. I'll do whatever it takes to get you on the Normandy and off this station."

Shepard and Anderson stared at each other for several moments, communicating in the silent way that soldiers did. It reminded Liara of the day before, when Shepard had looked at Ashley on the bridge after Kaidan's death. "I won't forget this, Captain. I promise."

"I can unlock the Normandy from one of the consoles in the Citadel Control Center," Anderson said. "You'll have a few minutes before anyone realizes what happened."

Liara's eyes widened. Despite her lack of knowledge when it came to the Citadel's internal operations, she had not missed the C-Sec officers that constantly patrolled the command center at the edge of the docking bay whenever they disembarked from the Normandy. "That is a restricted area patrolled by armed guards. How are you going to get past them to reach the console?"

"Leave that to me. Just make sure you're all in the Normandy when the systems come back online."

Shepard shook her head, obviously not satisfied with Anderson's dismissive explanation. "There has to be a better way."

"Ambassador Udina issued the lockdown order. If I can hack into the computer in his office, maybe I can override it."

This time, Ashley was the one to speak up. "With all due respect, sir, Udina isn't gonna let you waltz into his office and use his computer."

Anderson's large shoulders lifted in a shrug. "Hopefully, he won't be there. If he is, I'll just have to think of something."

"Udina won't let this slide, Captain," Ashley said, her brow lowering with concern. "You'll be charged with treason - a capital offense."

"We don't have a lot of options. I break into the Ambassador's computer, or I take my chances with the patrols in Citadel Control. It's a direct violation of Udina's orders either way." He stared directly at Shepard. "What do you think, Commander?"

Shepard paused, considering for a moment. "You'll have a better chance if you go after the Ambassador's computer. If he's there, you can subdue him more easily than a troop of C-Sec officers."

"I was hoping you would say that," Anderson said. A satisfied smile spread across his face. "The Ambassador has made this... personal. You ready to get the hell off this station, Commander?"

Shepard pushed out of her seat, leaning forward as she braced herself on the edge of the table. "Let's do it."

"I'll take care of the lockdown," Anderson said as he stood up. "You get down to the Normandy and tell Joker to stand by."

This time, as they left Captain Anderson behind and made their way back through the crowd of dancers and drinkers, Liara was not bothered by the steady thump of music. She felt hopeful about their chances for the first time since Kaidan's death. Newly energized, she looked over at Shepard, who was glancing at the dance floor with a curious expression on her face as they passed.

Impulsively, Liara reached out, lacing their fingers together. "Do you like to dance, Commander?" she asked over the noise when Shepard turned to look at her.

"Actually, I'm pretty terrible at it. But you…" Shepard paused, giving Liara a quick up-and-down that had her skin tingling. "I have a feeling you're an amazing dancer." She sighed, giving Liara's hand a squeeze as they continued towards the door. "I'd ask you to dance with me if we didn't have to go save the galaxy," she said, and although her tone was teasing, Liara could hear the regret behind it.

"After this is over," Liara promised. "As part of our date. Maybe not at Flux, but… somewhere. I want to dance with you."

"You sure about that?" Shepard asked. "I already told you I'm terrible."

"I do not care if you claim to be terrible at it. I still want to dance with you."

Shepard shook her head, but she was smiling. "Your risk to take. When this is over, I'll take you dancing."

As they slipped through the door with Ashley a few steps behind, leaving Flux and heading down the stairs towards the nearest transport terminal, Liara kept hold of Shepard's hand. She did not want to give up this new intimacy she had found. Not now, when they might only have a little time left. Perhaps…

Liara looked over at Shepard again, studying her profile as she began keying instructions into the orange screen of the terminal, requesting a cab to take them to the docking bay. If they succeeded in liberating the Normandy, the journey to the Mu Relay would take several hours. Even though they had not been able to dance, perhaps there would be time to take a different risk before they reached Ilos.