Ch 47: My Blue Goddess

Earth - 2310CE

Cameron exited his ship and looked around the area "Hmm... she said you were at this location. Knowing you, you would do something cunning." He looked over at Thomas Crispin then pointed to the open land "Find her."

Thomas pushed his glasses into his face as he looked the tall ruffian over. He wore a black mask that covered his face, and the sides of his head were shaved down to the skin with metallic-like streaks down them. The top section of his hair was twisted neatly in rows that flowed down to his neck. He bent down as he unlocked his metal chest and grabbed two spheres with hexagon holes in them. He tapped at his laptop then at the spheres. He stood as he lobbed them into the air and watched them expand then take flight. He glanced over as the ruffian's bottom portion of his mask disappeared as he placed a cylindrical pipe to his mouth.

Kol exhaled his smoked as he watched the machines whirl by and out into the open, "You sure those will work?"

Thomas smirked. "These will find just about anything. I have to say Gwendolyn is a mastermind when it comes to these gadgets. I mean—"

"Yeah yeah, shut up!" Snapped Kol.

He grimaced as he looked out into the horizon and watched the machines search the area. After several minutes went by, he pointed to his laptop, "Oh wow, Look at this! This building is huge."

Kol walked over and looked at his screen then smiled "There you are! Let's get over there and get it open."

—/

Kol walked up to the massive steel door and let out a long slow whistle as he gave one wrap on the door. "Damn, you are no fucking joke! Look at this shit!" He snapped his fingers, then said, "Tom, open this up."

Thomas nervously walked up to the door and looked at the biometric panel. "Ummm, this is an encrypted biometric reader." He tapped above the panel "With optic scan." He shook his head "These are extremely hard to crack."

Kol stormed over to him and grab the back of his neck and jerked him around as he yelled: "Open the fucking door!"

He took a deep breath as he rubbed the back of his hurting neck, "I can't! Not without the user's fingerprints and retina scan! You attempt to override it, and the entire system will go into lockdown. Everything in there will be impenetrable."

"Impenetrable?" Kol said, then laughed, "Well, then I'll use my own method to get

in because I'm not leaving here until I get what I came for!" He snapped his fingers, then said, "Bring me my equipment bag." After they brought him his bag, he bent down and pulled out several small bricks of c-4 explosives.

Thomas quickly reached out his hand, "Woah woah! You could structurally fracture this whole facility with the use of that! We have no idea—-"

"Then, open the fucking door!" snarled Kol. He paused then looked around when he heard a soft metallic noise, then a light blue asari appeared on a small screen.

"Kol Blackstone, I presume and Thomas Crispin, delightful." She said calmly.

Thomas quickly replied, "Not by choice, ma'am."

Kol turned toward Thomas then back at the screen."Interesting, I expected someone else and definitely not you, Gwendolyn." Replied Kol

"I know who you are and what you've done. I knew you'd come eventually."

Kol cocked his brow as he crossed his arms, "You know? How?"

Gwyn gave a slight smile, "I knew someone was leaking information, but I wasn't quite sure who it was, but now I know." She said as she eyed Thomas then looked back at Kol. "As for the identification of you. Well, that was purely accidental when I was analyzing my father's armor."

Kol sucked his teeth then said, "Hmm... and you're just going to let me in?"

"Why not? There's nothing of any value in there," replied Gwyn

"Nothing of value?" He snapped.

"Precisely. Well, nothing valuable to me, anyway. Feel free to peruse the area." She replied

He arched his brow as he turned when the door made several large clunking noises when the bolts removed. He took a step forward then stopped as he looked down the hall then back at the camera. "This is a trick, isn't it?"

Gwyn shook her head, "No trick."

He pointed to one of his men and said, "You! Walk all the way in there, then come back out." He waited as he did just that. The man came back out and said, "All clear."

He walked into the facility, and a hologram of his mother appeared, "Detection of several unauthorized entities."

Kol quickly looked around for something to pop out, but nothing did. He stared at his holographic mother and slowly walked up to her. "Where is she?" He asked, then jumped slightly when she spoke.

"Whom do you seek?" Asked the hologram

"Miranda Shepard." Asked Kol

"You are not authorized to be in here. My response coding will not activate until an authorized party is present." Replied the hologram.

He curled his lip, then yelled, "Gwyn! Where is she?" He looked up when a screen appeared on the nearest wall.

"She's not there."

"Bullshit!" He said as he looked at the three massive doors, "She's in one of those rooms."

"No...I'm pretty certain my crew cleared out anything worth anything the last time I was there."

He quickly ran to C and looked into a room of stored items. Then he walked to B, but it didn't open, then he walked to A and saw the pods. He saw empty pod after empty pod until he came to one tucked away in the corner. He swiped his hand over the glass, and he smiled when he saw her face, then mumbled, "Nothing worth anything, my ass." He looked up, then yelled, "Nice try Gwyn! What else are you hiding here?"

"Hmm, I thought we took those two units the last time I was there. I guess I was wrong. Well, I can't stop you from taking her. Take her and be on your way." She said, then left.

He glanced up and murmured, "Two units?" He pinched his brow, then rummaged through the other pods and found nothing. He walked out of A and over to B. When it didn't open, he looked at Thomas "Open this door."

Thomas walked up to the door and shrugged, "There's no access point." He walked over to the mainframe computer and tapped at it "Kol, I could be here for days trying to bypass this. She has—"

"You are fucking worthless. I'll do it myself!" He hissed. He turned to one of his men and said: "Bring me my bag!" He looked over at the blank screen then said: "Gwyn, I will blow this fucking door off its hinges!" He smiled slightly when he saw her reappear then say, "No need to destroy the door. All you had to do was ask," replied Gwyn

Kol looked at the screen for a long moment as the door unlocked then said, "Why are you doing this? Won't your mother be upset."

Gwyn shrugged, "Maybe so, but there's nothing I can do about it, right? Why have you tear up a perfectly good facility just to get what you want? You want them then take them. Goodbye, Kol." She said as the screen went black.

He stood there and scratched the back of his head. "Hmm..." he looked back at Thomas then said, "Does this seem odd to you?"

Thomas shrugged, "She's a really a nice person. This is kind of up her alley. I don't know..."

He walked up to the entrance and peeked inside, then he saw just one lonely pod sitting in the middle of the room, "Why would this one be locked in here and not my mother?"

"I'm not sure, but whoever it is must be more important than her." Replied Thomas.

He sucked his teeth, then scratched his chin. "Hmmm..." He gave a quick scan of the room, then cautiously walked inside and up to the pod. He looked it over then wiped the small window with his hand. A smile slowly crept over his face when he saw him, then he said: "Well, I'll be damned."

—/

Deep Space somewhere 2312CE

Shepard was lying in bed on his frigate that was traveling faster than light toward Thessia. He smiled as he looked at his wife on-screen as she rambled on about her day. She paused, then a smile slowly crept across her face as she looked at him then said, "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

He shook his head, then said, "Nothing. I'm just listening babe."

She glanced at the time 2330 then said: "Mhmm, you're just letting me ramble on about absolutely nothing."

He shrugged, "I know, but I enjoy watching you. Besides, you're obviously enthusiastic about it and when you get like that, I just let you…well, get it all out."

She laughed softly, then said, "And that's why I love you as much as I do. You'll listen regardless if you know what I'm talking about or not, and you'll actually pay attention."

"I do it because I love you." He paused then playfully said, "No matter how painful it can be."

She gasped then chuckled as she replied, "You butthead…" She gently bit her bottom lip, "I miss you."

His laughed tapered off as he said, "I know you do. I miss you too." He held up two fingers then three as he said, "Two more days…maybe three, then I'll be home."

She groaned, "I thought you'd be back early tomorrow morning."

He waggled his eyebrows, "I know, but there was a snag in that plan. I'm six hours outside Thessia, but I need to stop over in Serrice then Nefrane to get something first."

Her brow markings shot up, and she quickly replied, "Nefrane? That ancient "city" is a myth. What's there. What have you found? Was it found?" She paused as her mind began to race, "Ooo, I bet…" She rapidly snapped her fingers, "Yes!" She looked around then said, "Ummm, I'll meet you there. Uhhhh….Let me just gather some stuff."

He smiled, "No, no-no. It's just an unknown contact that has something of interest for you. I'll meet him then be home, then we can go over whatever it is in detail."

She cocked her head as she pinched her brow markings "That's strange. Something of interest for me? Why didn't they just contact me directly?"

He shrugged, "I'm not sure. The email said that you would want to definitely have this info for further study."

She ran her hand over her mouth then pulled at her lip as she paced around her room "Hmmm. That's so bizarre. I wonder what it is." She looked at him, then said, "What's in Serrice?"

He smiled broadly, "Something…"

"Oooo, and what is this…something? Hmmmm? Is it for me?" she said as she smiled.

He smirked then said, "It's a surprise. I'll see you soon."

Her hand touched her chest as she said, "Ooh, it is for me! What is it?"

He nodded, "Mmhmm, and you'll need to wait."

She quickly replied, "Ooo, ooo, just tell me."

He laughed softly as he shook his head "No, and I haven't bought it yet. I'll see you soon."

She huffed as she placed her hands on her hips "Ok ok." She made a few kissing noises "I'll let you sleep. Goodnight, I love you."

"Nite. I love you too," He said before his screen went black.

-/

Shepard stepped off his frigate, and his body shivered when he was hit repeatedly with blasts of arctic air. He looked over at his shadow Kirre. "Damn, it's cold here, and this armor's auto heating isn't doing shit for it either."

"No, kidding." She said as she tapped at her arm terminal, "We have level two and three hazard zones here." She looked out into the white horizon. "Whoever your contact is, isn't nearby, and we don't have the necessary equipment to venture out there. We'll have to come back."

He shook his head "Nah. If I recall we have a set of hoverbikes with enviro protection down in the cargo bay."

She curled her lip as she groaned, "Sir, I don't think this is a good idea. This could be a trap or—"

He rolled his eyes, "A trap for archeology stuff? Come on."

She nodded, "Yes! These people would have contacted Liara directly and not you. Why meet all the way out here? Doesn't this all seem odd to you?"

He sucked his teeth as he looked out into the open, "Liara said roughly the same thing." He crossed his arms as he continued to scan the area "Maybe it is… Regardless I'm going. Let's get our gear and the rest of the crew and be on guard. We'll head out to this location that was given and look around if no one is there, then we'll head home."

Kirre closed her eyes as she shook her head slightly "This has bad idea written all over it."

He smirked, "You're right; it does, and do you know how many of these we've been on. We'll be fine." He said as he turned and walked back on to his ship then headed down to the cargo bay. He pulled the covers off the hoverbikes and smiled as he patted the seat, "I love these things."

"I don't." Grumbled Kirre.

He chuckled then said, "Grab two more ladies to come with us and have the other two stay here to guard the ship. Let them know we'll be out possibly the whole day, but any longer than that with no communication, and they need to contact Liara."

She nodded, "Copy that."

They made their way over to the specified location, and they came up to a tucked-away cave entrance. Shepard scanned the area as he parked his bike then headed toward the entrance. He hit his comm unit and said, "Ladies, stay on your toes. Weapons ready."

They cautiously entered the cave and looked around the dimly lit area. He tapped at his arm terminal then said, "Looks like there's an enviro unit protecting the cave." His eyes darted over toward a dark corner when he thought he saw something. "Who's there?"

"Spectre Shepard…" replied an unrecognizable voice as a man in light protective gear stepped from the shadows.

He replied quickly with his gun pointed at him, "Are you my contact?"

The man held up one hand as he held a small box in another "Don't shoot. This is for you."

Shepard took a step toward him, then stopped as he quickly looked around the area again, but there were too many dark corners and shadows to see anything. He pointed to the ground with his gun as he said: "Just set it down there."

"Ok." Said the man as he placed the container on the ground. "Look, I know this all must be odd, but I found this, and the only person I could think of was you."

Shepard's eyes narrowed. "Just me, huh? Why meet here?"

"Like I said, I found it. I'm just an adventurer, and I came out here looking for this supposed ancient city."

He rose his eyes brows, "Well, did you find it?"

"I did, and I wanted to leave this to someone who would dig further into it, and I'm definitely not that person." He pointed to the entrance, "Can I go?"

Shepard jerked his head toward the opening as he lowered his gun. "Yea. Sorry." After the man left, they walked over to the box and opened it. He smirked as he shifted through it "Well, these look familiar. There also seems to be some documents in here. Liara will definitely want this."

Kirre nodded as she said, "Yea, those items are similar to the ones Benezia found." She looked around then said, "Do you really think he found the ancient city, or is all this just a ruse?"

Shepard stood up, then walked further into the cave as he said, "I'm not sure. Stay here." The further he walked, the darker it became until he was in solid darkness. He stopped as he reached up to turn on his headlight on his helmet but nothing happened. He grumbled then hit his helmet, "Stupid thing come on." He walked backward as he tried to flip the light on his gun but nothing happened "Shit. When I want this shit to work, it doesn't." He tapped on his arm terminal as it provided some light then he remembered the update Gwyn gave him on his visor. He pushed the side button and his visor turn to night vision mode. "There, that's— fuck!" He yelled as he saw a shimmer of a person, then the prick of several darts pierce the soft spots on his armor. The last thing he felt was the heaviness of his eyes closing and not himself hitting the ground.

Kirre ran around the corner, "Shep?" She looked into the darkness then saw a man emerge.

"Yea, I'm fine." He replied as he walked up to her.

She nodded then quickly pinched her brow markings as she looked at his armor, "Why is your armor different?"

He glanced down as his hand touched his armor "Ahh. Good eye." He said then shot her with a tranquilizer dart. He looked back when two other men emerged. "There's two more in here go take them out, and there's probably more on the ship." He walked into the darker part of the cave and drug Shepard into the lighter part "Well, Shep it looks like I have a date with your wife."

One of the men walked over to the knocked out Shepard and put a gun to his head, and the other quickly said, "No! Our mission is to put them all out. Set the communication disruptor, leave them here, and to exit. Nothing else."

The guy grunted "This is stupid. His death would make everything else so much easier."

"Maybe so, but he said no casualties. Let's finished up and continue on our mission."

—/

Shepard took a few deep breaths as his shuttled began its decent "Are you sure about this? I'm not walking into my death, am I?"

"Just stick to the plan, and you'll be fine." the voice replied in his earpiece.

He exited his shuttle and began to make his way to the house. "Sir, Where's Kirre and the others?" asked a nearby commando.

He froze then instantly replied, "I sent them on a side mission. They should be here tomorrow evening at the latest."

The commando scrunched her brow markings. "Hmmm ok, but Liara won't be happy about that."

He nodded, "True... I'm just going to head in now." He said as he turned and walked away then murmured, "Shit, that was close. Where do I go when I get in here?"

His earpiece buzzed as Kol spoke to him, "When you get in there, just keep your head down and don't talk to anyone. Just nod if you have to. Take a right and your office will be all the way down the hall. Last room on the right."

Shepard placed his hand on the door, and before he opened it, Kol said: "Shit, I forgot about the varren if there are any, but there probably are."

He scrunched his face, "Varren? You said they wouldn't be an issue."

"Well, they shouldn't, but if they smell a difference, then you're screwed. If you see one, just remain calm and act excited to see it."

"Great..." he said as he entered. He looked around as his jaw slightly dropped open. "Holy shit. This place looks huge from the outside, and well, it fucking is."

"Just keep moving. First, right."

"There's an office on the right here." He said as he was about to place his hand on the door.

"No, no, no, that's Liara's," replied Kol

He turned and continued down the foyer and froze when a commando came walking down the hallway. He turned his head slightly away as she began to talk to him. "Welcome home, Shep. Oh, Liara's outback." Said Teyr then paused for a moment as she turned slightly. "Wow, I'm surprised you have no comment on us losing this week..."

He swallowed hard, then nodded as he cleared his throat. "Umm, thank you. I need to go." He said then adjusted his cap and continued to walk toward his office.

The commando pinched her brow markings at his short and distant response as he walked passed her. She looked him over as her eyes followed him then stared at him for a moment as his typical Shepardness was nonexistent, "Everything ok?"

Shepard didn't turn around but just rose his hand and quickly replied: "Yep, thanks."

He heard a slight panic in his ear, "Shit! That sounded like Ty. Remain calm, and just stay on track. Maybe she won't alert her to your presence or follow you to the office. If she does alert Liara that you're home, just stay calm, and whatever you do, don't have sex with her."

"What? What happens if I do?" He paused then said, "Wait with her or Liara?"

"Liara! Because she'll know, and they'll probably kill you. Alright? Just don't do it. Follow the plan. Get in and get out."

He walked into Shepard's office and over to the computer. "Ok, I'm in the office and I'm inserting the chip into it. Now what?"

"Let that run and don't forget to place cameras." Said Kol

"Oh, right." He walked to the other side of the room and placed a tiny camera on it. He poked his head outside his office and placed a tiny camera on the wall. "Now, where?"

"Master bedroom. Straight down the hall. It was the first room with a solid door on the left as you came in the house. Oh, you know what? Place a camera in Liara's office then head to the master."

"Copy that." He continued into Liara's office then to the master. "Damn, this room is huge!" He said then looked over at the large bed. "How much sex do you think they've had in that bed?"

"What the fuck kind of question is that? Scan the room and keep moving. Don't fuck around. She's either going to wait for you or just come to you."

Shepard tapped at his arm terminal and scanned the room. He saw a hidden door in the floor and a hidden panel on the wall. "Well, hello, hello."

"What did you find?"

"Hidden door in the floor."

"Yess! I knew it. Let's see if you can open it."

He walked up to the wall and gently pressed the panel, and it flipped open. He placed his hand on the biometric scanner and let it scan his hand. Once it was complete, it gave a buzz then flashed "Access denied."

"No, go on the same fingerprints."

"Shit!"

He closed the panel and turned quickly when he heard the door open, and a seductive voice say, "Hey, you."

He swallowed hard at the half-naked light blue asari across the room from him. His eyes slowly looked down her body. She wore a skimpy white bikini, and her body was slightly damp. "Hi."

She slowly walked to him as she spoke: "Were you not going to come say hello to me?"

His heart began to beat faster. "I umm..." he cleared his throat. "Umm...of course I was."

She chuckled, "What's the matter, lovie? You're looking at me like it's the first time."

"Oh umm... well, you're absolutely exquisite. It's hard for me not to."

She pressed her damp body into him and ran her hand up his beard then kissed him. "Mmmm, you're such a flatterer my love." She pulled away gently and squinted her eyes slightly as she tried to look at him in the low light "Did you dye your beard?"

He chuckled hesitantly as he ran his hand over his non-salt and pepper beard "You like it?"

"Well, it certainly makes you look younger." Her hands came around his sides and to his back when she felt a weapon tucked into his pants. She scrunched her brow markings. "Have you not been to the armory? I could have sworn Ty said you were on the way to your office."

He hesitated then quickly said, "I was, but it totally slipped my mind when I was in there."

She cocked her head as she looked at him, "Hmmm…" Her hand came up and began to pull his hat off as she said: "What's with the hat?" She leaned in and breathed him in then said: "And…you smell different."

He stopped her with a kiss, "Don't like it?"

She looked at him as she grunted "nMmm It's…. different. I don't really care for the new smell, but that's because I'm so used to the other. The hat prevents me from seeing you and running my fingers through your hair. Take it off."

His heart rate picked up, then he slid his hand down her body "You're so beautiful. Let me look at you."

She backed away slowly as she smiled broadly. "Oh, you missed me, did you?" Her hands came up and untied the bow at the back of her neck then untied the bow at her mid-back. Her top fell to the ground, and her breasts dangled free. Her hands slid down her body and pulled at the strings at her hips until they released the bows and her bottoms fell.

His eyes flashed at her naked beauty before him. She curled her finger at him, and her words were silky as she said, "Come here." then she seductively bit her lip.

He ignored the warning being said in his ear, "Don't do it. Walk away." He couldn't help but walk to her as if she was reeling him in. He placed his hands on her naked body, and it sent pulses through his body. He was simply mesmerized by her beauty and she pulled him closer and closer to the bed. He felt a hard push to his chest and he fell back on the bed. He laid there not knowing what to do and he could feel her slowly crawling on him.

"What's the matter, baby? Hmm? You're so tense..." she said, then leaned down and kissed him.

He cleared his throat. "Umm, I'm...umm just tired, I guess..."

She pulled back and said playfully, "Oooh no. Don't you give me that? I've been waiting for you to get home. Besides, you always make love to me when you get home." She slowly ran her hands up his chest "I've missed you." She smiled then said, "So, where's this present of yours? Hmm?" She quickly looked around for her gift, "No, better yet, what happened on Nefrane?" She slapped his chest, "How come you didn't call me? You know I've been waiting for you."

He swallowed hard, then said, "Present? Oh, umm, it's in the office." He nervously ran his sweaty hands up her thighs and she instantly pinched her brow markings at him then smiled as she said. "Close your eyes, I have something for you. You're going to love this." She slid off him and watched as he closed his eyes then she reached down next to her nightstand and grabbed her pistol and pointed it at him then snarled, "Who the fuck are you?"

He quickly opened his eyes and put his hands up. "Wait, wait. It's me."

She shook her head, "The hell it is. I know my bondmate, and he would never hesitate to touch me like you did. Everything about you is wrong!"

He sat up slowly and said, "Listen, ok, it's me. I'm a clone, ok. Your Shepard was killed. They're all dead. I was remade."

She scrunched her face and began to breathe heavily. "No, you're lying!"

"Call me. My arm terminal will ring."

She looked at him then quickly touched her neurotransmitter on her temple "Call my lovie." She glanced at his arm when it rang.

"See... it's me."

Tears began to run down her face, then she backed away, then yelled, "Shay!" She glanced at the door then yelled again, "Shay!"

Shandri barged through the door with Teyr and another commando behind her. Shandri looked at Liara, holding a weapon at Shepard."What's going on? V.I lights on full!"

Her hand shook as she continued to point her weapon at him "That's not him! He said they're all dead, and he was remade."

Shandri pinched her brow markings then quickly tapped at her arm terminal to ring Kirre with no answer. She looked at Liara, "Kay didn't pick up."

She immediately replied with "Call Shepard."

Shandri tapped at her arm terminal then looked at the clone when his arm terminal rang.

He looked at both of them, "It's me."

Liara shook her head, "No!" Her grip tightened when he moved, "Don't you fucking move!"

Her heart was beating fast as she took quick breaths then said: "Tell me something that only you call me."

His earpiece whispered, "Tell her that she's your blue goddess." Shepard looked at her "You're my blue goddess."

She smiled as she lowered the gun slightly "Umm…Tell me something else."

His earpiece whisper, "Say her best friend is Miranda." He cleared his throat "Your best friend is Miranda."

She eyed him, "Wrong… my best friend is my bondmate."

"You know what I mean. Come on." He said swiftly.

She looked off to the side then at him as she said: "Ok, tell me something else."

His earpiece whispered, "She loves archeology." He nodded, "Ok ok... umm, you love archeology."

She narrowed her eyes. "Mmmhmm, but that's public information. What do you call it?"

His earpiece quickly said, "Playing in the dirt." He stood, "Well... you love to play in the dirt." He said smoothly, then smiled.

She couldn't help but smile back "Hmm. Ok. You got me there."

He inched toward her as she lowered the gun more, "Come on, babe, it's me."

Her hand shot up as she leveled out her arm "Don't! Ummm... Tell me something else."

Shay moved closer to them as Shepard inched closer. "Ok...umm your varren they're your babies. Your most beloved was Crimson."

She frowned at his name, then said: "Ok, last question, and I won't ask anymore."

He smiled as he thought he had this in the bag, then said, "Alright." Then his smile faded slowly when Liara three him a curveball question.

"You say you're my lovie, but only he would know the answer to this next question." She looked at him, then said, "What did you do the day after we first made love?"

He waited for an answer from Kol, but all he got was, "Shit, I have no idea." He looked at Shay then at Liara and scoffed, "Easy…I made love to you again."

She narrowed her eyes. "We did, but that's not the answer I was looking for and HE would have known exactly how to respond to that." She looked at Shay "Restrain him—"

Shepard charged Liara, and she hesitated to shoot at her "lover." Shepard held her firmly then brought a knife up to her neck "Ohhh, I don't think so."

Liara stood calm, then said, "You have no idea what I can do."

Kol squawked in his ear "What are you doing? Don't you dare even think about it! You'll fuck everything up, and you will rain havoc on us all for years, and she'll kill you!"

He mumbled, "I'm dead anyway…"

Liara smirked, "You've got that right! Before I kill you tell me where my bondmate is."

He laughed softly. "Asleep in a cold, damp cave. I came here to obtain information, and I've done that." He leaned into her neck and breathed her in then gently hovered his lips near her aux "Tell me Liara why HIM and not me? What makes HIM so much better?"

She scoffed, "Easy, my bondmate has more pizzaz than you. He lights up a room when he walks into it. You, on the other hand, do not. I had a feeling when I saw you standing in the dark that something was a miss. Ty said you were acting strange, and I came to see for myself. His love pours into me with every touch but you...your hands were clammy when you touched me and it instantly sent chills up my back."

He curled his lip and snarled, "You don't fucking know me!"

She replied quickly, "So true!"

He looked over at Shandri inching closer to them, "If you move any closer, I'll cut her fucking throat." He hissed as he pressed the knife against her neck.

Shandri could see a droplet of blood drip from her mistress's neck, and she knew she was going to have to make a move very soon. She looked at Liara for anything a brow raise a movement in her eyes, but before Liara could make her move or even speak, the clone did, "You know what? Fuck this!" Then it happened; his action was swift as his knife skated across her neck.

Shandri's eyes widen, and she gasped when indigo blood spilled from her mistress's neck. She couldn't even react against him because he violently pushed her mistress towards her. She caught her as Liara grabbed on to her, and she quickly laid her back and her hand met Liara's as they tried to plug the wound. Tears instantly formed in her eyes as she said, "Lia... I'm so sorry..."

As Shandri tended to Liara, Teyr shot at him, but he repelled every move as he made his way toward the nearest exit.

Shandri turned when several commandos flooded through the door then she heard a loud crash as his body smashed through the window. When she turned back toward Shepard, he was gone. She pointed to the window and yelled, "Hunt him down, damn it! GO NOW! He does NOT leave the grounds!"

Teyr nodded, then turned and ran after him.

Shandri sniffled, then quickly looked down at Liara then up and yelled: "I need medical now! Or medi-gel! Something and hurry the hell up!" Her lip began to tremble as her mistress gripped her hand as she tried to gasp for air, then her hand released as the last breath left her. Shandri let out a ragged breath as she brought her bloodied hand to her mouth then wept at her side. She looked her over as her body shook then mumbled, "I failed you, and I'm so sorry, Liara. I'm so sorry."

-/

Nefrane. Several hours after blackout...

Shepard groaned as his eyes opened then he looked around the cave. "What the fuck?" He looked down at his hands and feet, not tied. "Mmmk…" His eyes instantly darted over at Kirre, and the other two that were groaning then he asked: "You ok?"

Kirre grunted then replied, "Yes." She rubbed her neck as she said: "What the fuck was that about?"

He shook his head, "I'm not sure." He tapped at his comm unit, "Xylan? Do you copy?" He pinched his eyebrows when she didn't answer. He looked over at his crew, "Let's get back to the ship double time."

They pulled up to the ship, and they quickly enter with their guns raised as they searched it. He came upon his crew still knocked out, and he quickly checked their pulse. He glanced over at Kirre as he said: "They're alive but still out." He looked down at his arm terminal at the time then grumbled, "Shit. I bet Liara is pissed. I was supposed to be home hours ago."

Kirre smirked, "She'll get over it."

He huffed, "Yea." He tapped at his arm terminal and rang his wife, but nothing happened. He hit it then said, "Hmm, my arm terminal isn't working. I must have damaged it when I fell." He looked at Kirre, "Call Lia for me please."

She nodded, "Sure thing." She said as she tapped at her arm terminal. She pinched her brow markings "Hmm, mine isn't working either."

He pinched his lips off to the side "Hmm. Let's get home."

"Copy that." Replied Kirre.

—/

Kirre smiled as she saw the pink and white bag sitting in the corner near his things, "You got it, huh?"

He glanced back at the bag and smiled, "Yea, she's going to squeal!"

She rumbled in laughter. "She's too funny. So grown up on the exterior but still a youngin on the inside."

He smirked, "I know, but Liara just loves presents."

"Presents from her lovie."

He rolled his eyes, "Shut it!" He chuckled, "She could go buy them herself, but she'd rather me get them for her."

"Well, Yea... what's the fun in getting it yourself?" Replied Kirre

"Umm well none, I guess..." his words trailed off, and his smile faded as he looked outside his shuttle and down at his estate. He scrunched his face when he saw biotic flashes and gunfire flashes. "What the fuck? Kay, get me the fuck down there, now!" He quickly pressed his transmitter as he called his wife. His heart began to beat faster when she didn't answer but instead of his terminal not working his call went to her voicemail "Hi, you've reached Dr. Liara T'Soni-Shepard..." he ended the called then rang her again and it went back to voicemail. He hung up and hit the side of the shuttle, "Fuck!" He looked over at Kirre, "Land this fucking thing!"

The moment his shuttle landed and the door opened, he ran toward the opened front door. He wasn't welcome with open arms but instead with several guns pointed at him. "What the fuck is this? Where's Liara?"

"Don't you fucking speak!" yelled the commando as she pointed her weapon at him.

He instantly looked toward his bedroom, then his heart plummeted into his stomach when he saw her. His knees buckled as he tried to walk toward her, and his voice barely got out her name, "Liara..."

—/

Shepard stormed over to the holding facility, and he looked at Shandri, who was covered in his wife's blood, "Who fucking did this?"

She wiped the tears from her face, then just looked at him and said: "You did..."

His face dropped at her words, "What?"

She waved him down the hall then over to the observation room, and the moment he saw him, he stopped in his tracks "What the fuck?"

Shandri sniffled as she wiped the tears that continued to drizzle down her face. "She thought he was you, and he killed her." She looked over at her, General, "I'm sorry. I failed her and you."

He didn't reply to her but clenched his fists and said: "Open the door." Shandri looked at him then unlocked the door. He walked in and up to the man that killed his wife and just started hitting him, and with every word that came out of his mouth, he hit him "You-mother-fucker. Kill-my-wife. I'm-going-to-fuck-ing-kill-you!"

When he stopped, the clone spat out a bloodied glob then laughed, "Your wife was so fucking tasty." He licked his lips then said, "Mmm."

Shepard grit his teeth, then reared back and hit him again, "Shut the fuck up!"

The clone laughed, then he instantly stopped as he slumped over. Shepard looked back at Shandri then back at the clone "What the fuck?" He lifted his face up by his chin and cocked a brow marking at his distorted eyes then checked his pulse. He looked back at Shandri, "He's dead. Someone must have transmitted an internal meltdown or something." He tapped the clone's head, "In here."

Shandri walked up to him as she said. "Well, shit! I didn't even get the chance to read him."

Shepard let out a breath as he kicked the ground, "Fuck!"

She walked out and over to a table, "Well, were not completely fucked. We found these items on him, and EDI informed us of these gadgets. Shepard looked down at the table and saw an earpiece, a few micro-cameras and some other stuff."

He grunted as he nodded, "Mhmm." He curled his lip as he clenched his fist as he grabbed the earpiece off the table and plugged it into his ear as he tapped at the arm terminal that was on the table then quickly said, "Cam?"

"Dad, I..."Replied Cameron

Shepard grit his teeth several times the said, "Ooh… it's dad now, huh? Son, you've gone too goddamn far!"

"No, wait... that was not what I wanted at all."

"No? You fucking knew how vulnerable she is with me. You knew her weakness was me! So, you send in a fucking clone to get close to her and kill her." He took a ragged breath, "How fucking dare you!" He sniffled as he wiped his tears away "She was like a mother to you, and you killed her."

"I loved Liara, and I didn't want her dead." replied Cameron

"Oh, you loved her, huh? Well, she's fucking dead!" He took a deep breath "As much as it pains me to not seek vengeance for her. I'm not because you're my son." He balled his hands into a fist and they turned white as he squeezed, then he spat out "Oooh... because if you weren't, I'd fucking gut you and rip your fucking spine from your body!" His shoulders dropped as he released his fist and he let out a breath "Why would you do this? Are you happy now?"

"Dad, I'm sorry..."

His nostrils flared as he replied, "You're sorry? So, now what? Huh? We're even? Hmm? Liara's dead and you have your mother. Do you fucking feel better?"

"No... I don't." He said as his voice cracked.

He grunted, "mHmmm. You know what? Do me a favor. Wake your mother and you tell her what you've done." He paused then growled, "You tell her! Then watch as her heart breaks in front of you." Shepard waited briefly for an answer and didn't receive one. All he heard was his son take a ragged breath "What's the matter? Hmm? You don't want to wake her now, do you?

Yea, that's what I thought. I'll tell you this son you have a war coming. I hope you know that. My girls are going to want justice for this. For this…horrible death of their beloved mother. Two of them, in particular, will never stop until they get what they want." He smirked, "A trait they deprived from their mother. Cam, there will be nothing I can say or do that will stop them."

"I know..." he said softly.

"No, I don't think you do. You don't know them like I do. You may think you do, but you have no fucking clue. Anna is a very spicy and determined asari. She will use everything at her disposal to find you, and she will have it now that she's head of the T'Soni lineage." Benezia on the other hand… she falls into her own category of wickedness. When Nezzie came for justice for her sister, that will be NOTHING compared to what she'll do for this. I don't want to say that my daughter is demented or evil but she can be at times, times such as this. She will turn your insides out then bask in your blood as a wave of pleasure washes over her when she's finished. See, she's like a goddamn Ardat Yakshi that loves to feed off others because it calms the monster inside her. That's what these golden children are, a slightly different form of an Ardat Yakshi. They may not kill their lover's in a meld but they love the feeling of death that they bring. To my daughter, it's a pleasurable drug and a sensation that she must keep in check. She's the worst of all of them and that's because she's invoked the power of an Onikuma a very powerful ancient monster. No matter what you try to do, she will overcome it and she will tear this galaxy apart to find you."

When he stopped talking, he heard nothing from the other end. No quip or response just dead silence, and he knew his son was terrified of what his sister would do to him when she caught up to him. He knew she wouldn't hold back one damn bit and he had no idea just how far his sister would go to get her justice. Kill him, him and his whole family, his entire crew, Jessie, or hell maybe even his mother. He just didn't know nor did he.

Shepard looked down as the silence continued. Benezia may say what's on her sleeve to her mother, but she loved her deeply, and her death is going to cut her deep. He knew anger was going to fill her rage for justice. There was no gentle way to tell them what happened to their mother and they each kept in touch with her on a daily or weekly bases. There was no denying the inevitable.

"Cam? I suggest you start running because that's what you're going to be doing from now on." He said then ended the call.

—/

Shepard leaned against Liara's office door frame as he looked around her office. His eyes slowly darted around the room as his mind began to wander back and roll through the thousands of memories of her in this room. At that moment, he cracked a tiny smile at one in particular.

Shepard walked into the house and instantly looked over at his wife's office as his eye twitched at her off-key singing. Chills ran up his back at her continuous poor singing. He looked over at Teyr that was near the staircase, and she just looked at him. He chuckled then made a face as he said, "Yikes!"

She smirked then said, "No, kidding. She's been doing that for the last hour or so."

"I see. So, she's in a glorious mood today to be singing. Huh?" He glanced back at the closed office door with an illuminating red circle then said: "A hundred credits says she's also dancing in there."

Teyr laughed, "No need to bet on that because I'm sure she is."

He dropped his bag as he said: "Hey, Ty!" He instantly rose his arms above his head and swayed his body, then said, "Liara?"

She chuckled as she nodded, "Nailed it!"

He laughed, then walked up to her and quickly jiggled his chest at her. She pushed him gently as she laughed and said: "Get out of here!"

He laughed as he picked up his bag then said: "Hey, did you catch that game?"

"Of course, and we stomped your ass!"

He waved her off as he walked backwards toward his office and replied, "Pfffft….your team barely won… but your main ball handler got injured in the last few minutes of the game." He pointed at her and said, "So, your team is fucked for months!"

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever more like a few games. Even with a second-string handler, we'd still kick your team's ass."

"Not!' He said quickly as he turned and waved her off then walked toward his office to unload his equipment. After he placed his weapons and armor in the armory, he walked over to his desk and sat down. He swirled around and tapped at his laptop, then placed his hand on a biometric scanner and said: "EDI, are you online?"

"I'm available for assistance. What can I do for you Shepard?" asked EDI

"Can you tap into Liara's office cameras for me, please, ma'am?"

"Which one would you like to access?" replied EDI

"Ummm, all of them as I want to get a lovely visual of her at this prime moment." He said as he chuckled.

"Tapping you into her many cameras that would be open and accessible at this moment. It looks to be her Laptop, Data terminal, and wall video feed."

He slapped his hands together, then rubbed them rapidly. "Fantastic! Can you stream them over to my laptop in my office, please?"

"Of course, is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked

He smiled broadly then replied, "No, that'll be all, thank you." He waited for a brief moment then the live stream popped up on his laptop. He instantly leaned back in his chair as he laughed at his wife singing and bouncing around her office as she danced. His eyes followed her as she moved around the room and he couldn't help but grin. He got up and walked to her office and when he reached the door, he tapped at his arm terminal to remove the lock on the door. He removed his shoes and placed them next to the door. Once he was done, he opened the door and quickly ran into the room then slid across the floor with his hand closed in a makeshift mic at his mouth as he sang loudly in sync with the music. "Ooooh, I wanna dance with somebody!"

Liara jumped then turned around quickly when she heard her husband, and she smirked at his silliness.

He rolled his hips wide as he brought his hands in close as he sang, then jerked his head back on his last note. "I wanna feel the heeeeee-TA!" he quickly brought both hands up to his chest and snapped his fingers then pumped his arms toward his chest to the music.

She brought her hands up to her mouth as she laughed.

He was shaking his butt as he slowly reached out to her and continued to sing the next frame. "Don't you wanna dance? Say you wanna dance? Don't you wanna dance?" He pointed to her then to himself, "With somebody who looooooves you."

She smiled as she nodded then swayed her hips as she ran her hands down her body then made her way over to him. She reached out for him, and he grabbed her hand and pulled her close then instantly kissed her neck. Their bodies swayed to the music as their lips connected and she quickly sought out for his tongue. Her fingers ran through his hair as their mouths opened and closed while their tongues caressed each other then their lips pressed together. He leaned her back and kissed her chest; then, he murmured, "Are you going to dance with me baby?"

She pulled herself to him as she looked at him, then slid her hands down his back. She bit her lip as she smiled then said: "Mmhmm, show me that heat."

He chuckled as his hands lingered around the rim of her pants. He slowly slid her leggings down over her rear then slapped it.

She smiled then moan softly, "Mmmm."

He grabbed a handful of her light blue ass as he kissed her lips. "Mmm you're so sexy when you dance."

She giggled as she pulled at his pants "How about you stop talking and get these off."

He chuckled, "I don't need to remove much to have my way with you." He slid her leggings down and she stepped out of them. Once the bottom half of his lovely wife was bare, he grabbed her legs and lifted her up, then made his way over to her desk and said: "Make room."

She looked behind her and quickly knocked an area off her desk, then he set her down.

She gently pulled away, then said, "I've missed you."

He scrunched his face as he blinked the tears from his eyes, and they slowly drizzled down his face. "I will miss you terribly, my lovely blue goddess."

There could be no place on the T'Soni estate where he would be able to hide from a memory of her. Good ones, bad ones and everything in between but normally good ones. She was a woman that loved him with every piece of herself. She would travel to the end of the galaxy or beyond for him. She traveled through darkness for him and did the unthinkable for him.

He looked over at a picture of her on the wall, "How do I explain this to our children?" He said softly then shook his head "There's no way to do it without crushing them. They all loved you so much. You weren't supposed to die this young. You had centuries to live." He sniffled then said, "You filled my life, my love. What will I do without you?" He said then drug his feet as he walked to his room and up to his bed. He looked it over then placed his hand on it. The last time he made love to her was here in this bed. He closed his eyes tight as that memory popped into his head.

He smiled as he pulled her naked body between his legs. His hands shimmered up her rear as he kissed her stomach. Her leg bent as it came up and placed it near his thigh so she could open herself to him. His fingers slid down her dampness then rubbed her blue desiring nub as he gazed up at her. Her hands slid down his back then through his hair as she closed her eyes and moaned softly as she pressed her breasts into him. "nMmm."

He took a ragged breath, then leaned down and punched the bed repeatedly as he wept. When he was done, he dropped to his knees, then turned and leaned against the bed as he continued to cry. As he sat there and wept, he couldn't help but continue to think of her.

His grunting persisted until his release, and then he let out a long, pleasurable moan. "Ahhhhhh. Nmmmm…" He was breathing heavily as he looked down at his wife then kissed her "Mmmm, I love you."

She smiled as she slid her hands down his sweaty back. "Mmm, I love you too."

He laid on her for a moment then rolled off her. Liara turned on her side and looked at her bondmate and giggled. He turned to her and said, "What?"

She smiled as she shook her head "Nothing. I still think your sexual grunting is cute."

He arched a brow, "My… sexual grunting?"

"Yes, so primal. You sound like a bear when you're really into it. It's sexy."

He scoffed, "I do not sound like a bear."

She chuckled, then leaned in and kissed him, "Yes, you do." She said then made a playful growl.

He chuckled, "Stop." He replied, then laid there as the cooling wisps from the fan-cooled his body. He let out a breath then looked at time 10:50. He sat up and groaned as he got off the bed, "Ugh, I need to get going."

Liara pouted. "Yes, I know. Citadel for a meeting then wherever they need you to go. Right?"

He ran his hands through his damp tousled hair as he walked to the bathroom, "Yea." He flipped the shower on, then walked over to the counter and looked at himself in the mirror. He glanced at his salt and pepper hair then groaned. "I'm getting old babe."

Liara leaned on the bathroom door frame "So, you still look handsome to me."

He ran his hand over his short, wiry beard, "Yea, but you won't be saying that when I'm an old frail and wrinkly man."

She chuckled, "I will too!"

He looked at himself in the mirror then back at his gorgeous blue wife "You are still as beautiful as ever and always will be."

She smiled as she pushed off the door frame "You're such a flatter."

He smirked, then paused for a moment, then said: "I won't be around forever."

She grimaced as she walked closer then pressed her nakedness into his back as she kissed it "Don't say that. I cherish every moment I'm with you." She began to tear up as she thought about him not being around "When that time comes…my heart will shatter into a million pieces, and no one will ever be able to repair it. I will be lost without you, and I'm terrified of what my life will be without you in it."

He turned to her, pulled her close, and held her "My blue goddess. I will wait in purgatory for you."

She smiled as she looked into his lovely blue eyes then said: "You'd wait for me?"

He huffed. "Of course! No reason for just one of us to be miserable. Combo deal. Two for one."

She rumbled in laughter, then squeezed him tight. "Combo-deal huh?"

"Yep. There's a permanent etching on my soul. I'd wait for however long it took because I can't proceed to the great beyond without Liara T'Soni."

She smiled, "Awww babe. You're so sweet. I love you."

"Mmm, I love you." He said as he picked her up. His wife grunted as her bottom touched the cold counter then smiled as he moved in closer to her. She ran her hands up his face then through his hair "My handsome man, how could I ever live without you. My heart beats for you."

He blinked the tears from his eyes as he took a ragged breath. He looked down at the faint bloodstain near their bed then grabbed at his heart as he sat in the nearest chair then slumped down. "I understand the feeling now." He took several heavy breaths and began to cry then murmured: "Wait for me..."