"Come on, take the shot," Liara murmured with an expression that wavered between triumph and sweet regret.
Private data of the most valuable kind streamed across her hovering monitors, the pauses in Ausiphea's communication with her financiers underlining her reticence to commit to the hostile takeover. The Matriarch had no idea she was being monitored; a game of cat and mouse that had once caused Liara no end of apprehension but was now, after the infiltration of hundreds of Asari as or more powerful than she, as routine as the cup of tea on her desk.
The prize over which she and Ausiphea struggled was a small but promising quantum communication peripherals company Liara had acquired two years prior but with this day in mind. The board and R&D department had been groomed and hand picked by her agents, all but ensuring her unmitigated freedom to exploit the technology for the purposes of espionage.
Queries to her sources told her nothing she didn't already know about the delay. From the Matriarch's perspective this deal wasn't just about future technology, it was a death blow to House T'Soni and likely why she hesitated. No matter how favorable the numbers might be this was a sea change in history and Ausiphea wasn't the type of person to revel in another's misfortune. It was charming, really.
Ultimately, however, the Matriarch gave the green light. When it was done, Liara waved that set of connections closed and lifted her lukewarm cup to her lips. When it was empty she shifted her the curves of her ponderous misshapen midsection against the opposite side of the chair and stretched. She was free.
It felt right in all the wrong ways and she felt a bit guilty for celebrating anything in light of recent events, but there was no mistaking the lightness of her spirit at the completion of this part of her task. She would still play a subordinate role in all of the companies and political coalitions in which she held a recognized interest, of course, but her family name would be on far fewer lips moving forward, fading into the background much like the white noise coming from her left on feed seven.
Free. Free to pursue the life as a mother she had dreamed about. Well, she admitted to herself as an escalation from MarsGene demanded attention, at least part of the time. She pinged Miranda's queue and waited for a response but one didn't come. Odd that. Miranda typically handled their requests.
"Glyph, has Miranda returned from vacation yet?"
"No, Doctor T'Soni," said the VI's disembodied voice. "Miranda Lawson's status is set to 'Out of Office'. She is expected back in two days, seven hours and 47 minutes."
Liara resolved not to disturb her with work and nodded to herself. "It's late. Send MarsGene's latest to Feron for triage. I'll look in on it in the morning."
"Of course, Doctor T'Soni. Entering night mode. Rest well."
With the dying of the effervescent monitors the room filled with ghostly twilight, periodically brightened by the rise and fall of status lights from her equipment.
Liara's mind wandered as it often did at this hour, lulled by the sound of distant waves in the dark that crept over, around and through the cavernous house she'd called home for more than a hundred years. That is, when she hadn't cursed the place or the woman that lived here long before she; the same woman whose memory lingered in her thoughts like the perfume of summer flowers on this night and almost every night after she had chosen to bear offspring.
She wondered if Benezia's spirit lived on and if so, where it had gone? If there had been any inclination for religious belief clinging to her rigorously skeptical soul it fled after a single conversation with Javik, the last living Asari 'god'. As much as Liara wanted to hate him for every hurtful word uttered during the brief time she knew him, the truth was that she mourned him alongside her faded, ethereal innocence. So as jaded as she felt, why did she persistently feel her mother's presence in these moments? Perhaps it was the hormones flooding her body that manufactured the sensation of soft arms enfolding her and warm whispers of reassurance against her crest; or simply a deep-seated need for solace and certainty in the face of the changes in her life that would surely come with Athena's arrival. Whatever it was, Liara refused to shut the feelings away, clinging to them with quiet stubbornness and a need that had been shamefully neglected while its cure lay within simple reach.
It wasn't the first, nor would it be the last time the thoughts had circled in her mind unanswered. These late reflections had become, if she were honest with herself, a ritual that gave arguable excuse to stay awake and linger over the day's business. Athena stirred in silent rebuke then and Liara smiled at what might be their first real disagreement. Her hands slid down over her abdomen and she whispered, "The voice of your father from you already, hmm?"
There was a click from behind where she sat and the warm light of a thousand year old lamp lit the pale corners of Liara's office. As she started to turn in her chair the sound was followed by the thump and slide of a duffel against the stone floor before the voice for which she had been waiting filled the room.
"She's telling you to go to sleep, isn't she?" Shepard grinned while stepping to where she rose ponderously from her seat. "Guess she's got your brains," she murmured as they embraced before adding with a smirk, "And my common sense."
Liara made a face, eliciting a chuckle from her bondmate before they kissed softly. "This from someone who couldn't put a night of sleep together in ten," she chided in return.
Shepard shrugged as her hands slid down Liara's arms and breathed, "Those days are over."
Liara didn't need the meld to recognize the tension in her stance or the sharpness in her eyes that had, for the last few years now, been easy to soften.
"I know you are upset by what has happened," Liara said tenderly, "Do you want to go to Tuchanka, after all?"
Her lover's jaw clenched and released but she never looked away, eyes still scalpel sharp. "No, I don't. I've waited years for this moment. I want to be right here, with you, when Athena comes."
Liara considered her quietly, then she said, "You're taut as a spring. You know I won't judge you for your feelings, we've come too far for that. Talk to me, Jordan."
The name she so rarely used had the desired effect which was to turn Shepard's focus inward. She was strong in so many ways but they were muscles designed to effect change outside herself, a wall built to avoid looking at the wreckage of who she had been within. That wall had now been reshapen, buttressed where its failure could cause damage and lowered to allow reflection else.
Shepard dropped her eyes as if they were bore the weight of the world and sighed, "Grunt's disappointed I'm not coming to mediate. He's hurting pretty bad."
If there was anything Liara knew about Grunt it was that 'disappointed' was not a category of his emotional spectrum. It was far more likely he reacted as any child would when a parent delayed the address of their need, which is to say with anger, and Shepard would take that reaction as badly as any parent who feels they are failing, which is to say...with guilt. It wasn't her fault Grunt looked to her for such a bond, the one who had seen him born and given him purpose, having no one else except the Krogan who had given him a name and a place with his people before tragically dying to look to for guidance; but the end result was the same….Shepard had been forced to choose and by that choice someone would suffer.
Liara took Shepard by the hand and began to waddle out the door towards their bedroom at the end of the hall. "His world has been shaken and he needs support from someone he trusts. We'll arrange a visit as soon as we can." She took a slow step before adding, "I've also sent everything I could find on Clan Dulak to Ashley. I'm certain she'll help the Krogan find the justice they need."
Shepard simply nodded without speaking, her hand sliding down to support the small of her back as they walked, and Liara sighed with more than just relief. The sorrow etched on Shepard's features cut her to the quick, bringing memories of the Wrex to the fore of her mind like the hot winds that cut endlessly across his ruined homeworld.
"I will….miss him," she said after a moment and two belabored steps before turning her gaze upon Shepard's aspect again. "I will miss his gruff advice, even his rage."
"The sound of his boots on deck," Shepard murmured nostalgically. "The way he'd laugh in a fight. He was one of a kind. A true friend." Her eyes slid shut then opened a crack, though Liara guessed she was seeing somewhere else just then...or somewhen. "He changed his world and his people. Who could ever hope to replace him?"
Liara shook her head as they crossed the threshold of their room. "I don't know. One of his allies, no doubt, but while Wrex changed many of his people's traditions, I do not believe succession was one of them."
"Yeah," Shepard agreed, "Hard to inspire confidence in your abilities if your first priority is arranging your replacement." Her eyes narrowed as a thought occurred, "He's got kids though, wouldn't one of them take over?"
Liara began the long process of getting undressed while Shepard turned down their bed. "There isn't much information available about their rituals but if memory serves, a new leader is chosen through some kind of competition. A child would not fare well in those conditions, I think."
Shepard snorted, "Especially if there's a thresher maw involved."
When their eyes met their voices immediately chimed together, "And there's always a thresher maw involved!"
They chuckled fondly even if the sound's edges were tarnished with grief. A moment later, Shepard's green eyes had fixed on the expanse of Liara's iridescent skin as it was revealed. It made Liara preen that her lover could still look at her with such unbidden fascination and she was doubly, triply glad she'd taken Miranda's advice and had nano-treatment to regenerate skin badly treated by the war and its aftermath. Shepard's expression softened with love and pride especially at the sight of her swollen abdomen but suddenly Liara could no longer see her face as the fabric of her tunic caught over both her elbows and in front of her eyes.
"Need some help?" Came the cautious question, burnt one too many times by intruding in a moment of hormonal, bloated and ugly pique.
She was on the verge of sighing in defeat when she felt warm fingers slide over her skin, nerves singing in response like piano keys. In moments she was extricated from her prison and eye to eye with Shepard, whose face was lit with tenderness. Liara felt badly about previous bouts of temper just then and cupped her cheek before whispering, "My hero."
She saw the words transform her lover's expression into one she saw often, the puffed-up cocksure one that sported crooked grins. It didn't stay long this time though, sincerity smoothing it over.
"You're as beautiful as the first day we met," she said and in Liara's mind they were suddenly there, the light of ancient technology spilling over the innards of a broken mountain. Shepard's eyes had been shocked at the sight of her like she'd been dipped in ice water and Liara recalled the lengthy pause before she spoke at all.
That face had etched itself in her brain, keeping her warm through the many cold days to come, but the memory of it now left her wanting for something….missing. Liara lifted a thumb and slid its pad over the length and shape of Shepard's left eyebrow. When the other brow lifted questioningly Liara smiled.
"I'm glad you think so, and while I am pleased I had all that scarring removed…." she chewed her lower lip just so in the way she usually did when about to ask for something and took pleasure in seeing Shepard smirk, "I was wondering."
"What about?" she asked archly.
"Do you suppose you would consider adding one?"
That was worthy of a two brow lift, confusion settling in soon after. "Who, me?"
"Yes, you. I remember everything about that day on Therum and especially you. You had a scar...here," she said with another brush of her thumb. "Do you remember?"
Her eyes unfocused for a moment before returning to her own and she said softly, "I remember," waiting for a whole moment before putting on another insufferable I'm-the-greatest look. "I guess Garrus was right, chicks do dig scars."
Liara couldn't spend long on her feet these days and felt the weight on them now. As if to agree, Athena moved sharply within, the kick leaving a lingering pain low in her abdomen. Her breath caught and Shepard's humor dimmed. "How did you get it?" Liara asked before sliding out of Shepard's arms and moving toward the bed. "I don't think you ever told me."
Strong arms wrapped around her to assist and gently lowered her into Liara's normal sleeping 'hole', the blankets and pillows set in wilder and wilder configurations over time for her comfort if there was such a thing this far along. Once she was settled it was Shepard's turn to undress, which never failed to distract and kept to promise now.
"Wish I had a tall tale for it but no," Shepard said with a shake of autumn hair and a kick until a boot fell to the floor. "Well, the tree was tall, actually, so I guess that counts." And there was that grin again before it ducked beneath the rise of her shirt, exposing a toned, muscle rippled midsection that begged to be…
"Happened when I was a kid," she began, voice muffled, "Papa and his brothers took us all down to the…"
But Liara had lost track watching the planes and contours of Shepard's body take shape against the dim light of the side lamp. There were many reasons she was ready to have this pregnancy finished, good and noble reasons filled with love and affection but this...this wasn't one of them. Oh how she missed a good, vigorous…
"Why, Dr. T'Soni, what big eyes you have."
The incongruity of the words through her fogged brain snapped her back to the steady stare of her lover, head propped with one hand and elbow on the pillow beside her.
Liara shrugged with a look that apologized even if she wasn't sorry at all, just resoundingly uncomfortable and in need of distraction. Shepard took that as a cue to slide closer, reaching out with gentle fingers to stroke the side of her face, down her throat and over a shoulder. Goosebumps rose in their wake and the sensation was indescribably comforting. Shepard always knew just what to do.
"To answer your question, I don't see why not. I'll ask Miranda in the morning. Until then?"
"Until then?" Liara repeated, snake charmed.
Shepard's lips answered, but without words; followed by skin then fingers followed by a touch of teeth and ohh Goddess yes. When she joined her in the meld, Liara assaulted her with everything she couldn't possibly do to her in the physical world and Shepard greatly approved. Afterward they lingered in the meld together, sleepy but still raw enough from the day's events to turn one moment of togetherness into another, beads on a necklace running short on chain until they slid down and down into sweet oblivion.
Her dreams were of their wedding, of raised glasses and voices, especially Wrex's...gravelly and boisterous and perfect, of Garrus in a tuxedo and Tali' Zorah in a native dress from her homeworld. She dreamed of dancing...moving smoothly over the floor in Shepard's arms, lips close to one another's ears and their faces high on smiles. It was beautiful and graceful, their feet barely touching the ground, the tips of their shoes dipping into the surface of the stone to leave expanding ripples that bounced from the walls to cross-hatch one another like vibrations.
The tile turned to waves and their boat cut through them like a blade, Liara's fingers dragging in the cool water curling off the bow, lithe body stretched along the prow to reach down toward the depths. Behind her Shepard slept, skin burning under Parnitha's stern gaze without a care in the world. They floated there for what seemed forever, until Liara opened her eyes to behold the water turning darker ahead, a ponderous shape beginning to move beneath the surface, bigger than the sky.
The boat began to speed ahead faster and Liara turned her head to see the bridge unmanned. She shook Shepard to wake her, the white wood beneath them beginning to groan and shudder as they pitched downward, a mighty wave rising behind. When Liara looked ahead of them again, blood cold as death, she saw the great waters turning slowly around a center that pulled at them; a center with Leviathan arms….
She woke shouting and soaked, arms fighting the sheets that circled her; then Shepard was there, holding her and saying soft sleepy words in a dark and quiet room. On the edge of that nightmare she still slipped, a warmth sliding out of her that cut with the same sharpness. It took a moment to come to herself, the small and frightened tendril of being that was Athena alarming her but also injecting a shot of clarity she grasped without hesitation.
"I've got you, babe, shhh," Shepard whispered. "Everything's okay. Talk to me."
Liara stilled, her breath coming in deep gasps before a hand reached down between her thighs and into a mass of warm, wet bedding. She made a noise somewhere between exasperation and elation and turned to look at her beloved wife.
"It's time," she panted proudly, the chill of fear melting against the warmth of sheer joy. "Athena is coming."
In an instant, sleep died, winked out of existence with Shepard's leap from the bed. "Don't move!" she cried with an imperious finger pointed before shouting unecessarily, "Glyph! Light the BatSignal!"
The ancient earth superhero had been the topic of a drunken discussion between Shepard and Garrus the last time he visited. Liara remembered because it had been a very animated discussion. While she was sleeping.
"Hello, Shepard," Glyph responded agreeably as it winked into existence above the bed. "Executing 'Bat Signal' Program, " it said, rotating back and forth and changing colors as if it were pleased with itself before continuing, "Calling eeevverrryyooooone!"
Liara laughed and it made Shepard take at least a full breath, doubtlessly preventing her from losing consciousness. When her giggles were joined by Shepard's the last vestiges of her night terror disappeared. Their child was coming...and everything was going to be wonderful.