Hi there. This chapter was originally designed for Christmas... so why not do Christmas in march! XD

Jane and Liara meet Ciux (nickname Lav), a new asari character I introduced in the previous chapter.

This weekend is a double bang, I also uploaded a new chapter for 'Love and Lust on the Tempest'!

Chapter 16: Citadel Christmas

Ciux inhaled deeply.

After spending the last couple of months in war-torn London the newly restored Citadel felt like a breath of fresh air. The magnificent space station gleamed in the bright early light, looking pristine and polished. It truly was a new dawn for the galaxy.

Their breakfast cafe was situated right in the middle of a gorgeous, huge garden and the sweet scent of roses filled her nose. She took another deep breath, marveling at the sight. From her seated position she could see the majestic ring of the Presidium, two peaceful lakes and a sea of flowers that stretched all the way from the waterfront to their table. Mostly red and pink roses, mixed here and there with a blue-ish human flower she did not recognize. Small birds were flying overhead, their songs filling the morning air.

She noticed something else. The subtle, lovely perfume of the lady in the opposite chair. Ciux drank in the sight - Miranda Lawson looked absolutely spectacular. An elegant burgundy blouse showed just a hint of cleavage while the matching tight, sexy black skirt emphasized the stunning curves of her waist and hips. Her alabaster skin nearly sparkled alive in the morning light. She'd put a very light curl in her long dark hair, causing it to roll naturally over her shoulders.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Miranda raised an eyebrow. The young maiden just stared at her with those dreamy lavender eyes. She felt a light blush on her cheek from the intense scrutiny. "Not hungry?"

"Yes I'm hungry. Not for food. Can't take my eyes off of you. You look fabulous. That is a helluva skirt... and I love what you did with your hair. Splendid." Reaching out, she curiously explored the alien strands. Fascinating.

Miranda's blush intensified. "That's very sweet of you." She didn't move, generously allowing Lav to play with her hair.

Two days earlier they'd kissed for the very first time. Miri had high hopes for their second date but the hospital'd been swamped with wounded coming in from the Alpha sector. Working around the clock they'd barely found a minute alone time. Now they'd made it to the Citadel for the Council dance and she felt her heart leaping with joy, looking forward to spending lots of time with the young maiden.

Taking the asari's hand she squeezed it gently. An unhurried feeling of peace welled up in her. "I'm delighted to be here with you. Thanks for coming along."

"Of course. I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world! Besides... I wanna be with you. In London or the Citadel. Wherever."

"Good thing I feel the same way!" Miri laughed. Leaning in she lightly kissed the asari. "It's great to be with you. And..." she unabashedly stared, "you're an absolute dream!"

It was only the second time Miranda had seen her not wearing a grey, drab hospital uniform. The young, tall maiden had selected a white, high necked sleeveless asari dress. The fantastic bright white created a delicate contrast with her gorgeous purple lavender skin, giving her an almost ethereal appearance.

She noticed she'd been holding her breath.

I'm so damned lucky!

Ciux magically blinked at her, curiously, expecting.

She's gorgeous!

"What time are we expecting your friends?" Lav queried. She wasn't really in the mood for more company - just being with Miranda was a dream come true - but Miri had insisted they'd meet up.

"They should be here soon. I think you'll like them."

Lav didn't answer. She looked around. No-one in sight. Splendid. Feeling her heart speeding up she leaned in, wanting to kiss the stunning beauty next to her. Miranda eagerly responded and they kissed passionately, warm tension rising between them.

After a good minute Miri placed her hand on the asari's thigh and caressed the warm skin. Ciux squirmed and took a hold of Miri's waist to pull her even closer. They moaned into each other's mouth.

"Hey! Hands above the table!"

The couple jumped, turning to see... "Shepard! Liara! Good to see you!" Miranda got up to greet her friends, sharing warm hugs while Ciux rose from her seat.

Smiling from ear to ear Miri rested her hand on the maiden's shoulder. "I'm pleased to introduce Ciux T'mari, my... my girlfriend."

"Commander Shepard!" The asari's eyes sparkled with surprise. Her voice betrayed her awe. "It's an h-honour to meet you!"

Jane firmly took her hand with both of hers. "Thank you dear. Miri's mentioned you in a vid-call. Good to meet you."

Liara put her palm upwards at a slight angle. "Peace be with you sister."

"Miri's obviously a smart woman," Shepard grinned, unabashedly eyeing Ciux up and down, still refusing to let go of her hand. "Damn you're tall! ...by the way, calll me Jane. A friend of Miri's a friend of ours."

"Oh!" Ciux sucked in her breath. She could barely believe it - Eye to eye with the woman who beat the reapers! And the way Miranda greeted them, she had to be close to the couple.

"Eh, yes. Thank you..." she took another deep breath, "...Jane. And please call me Lav. All my friends call me Lav." She grinned almost apologetically, "short for lavender."

Taking a seat Jane and Liara ordered breakfast - scones, biscuits and orange juice. While waiting Liara eyed Ciux curiously. "Lav, how long have you known Miranda? And how did you two meet?"

The young maiden told their entire story, only interrupted when Miranda added a bit of information. The food arrived and while they ate Liara had more questions. What part of Thessia was she from? How did she get on earth? Had she finished her studies?

By the time breakfast was done her throat was dry from all the talking. She felt flattered that the power couple showed such an overwhelming interests in her but was still glad when Miri took over.

"The part that she has not mentioned is that she's been an awesome support for me in the hospital. We went through some crazy ups and downs - ridiculous amounts of wounded coming in, running out of supplies, staff disappearing. The war's been brutal and it's been hectic trying to get everything up and running. And when I lost..." her voice choked on the word, "when I lost two patients due to... an error on my part she helped me cope with it."

Jane's face changed. She took both their hands, her voice warm and appreciative, "Losing people is extremely hard. Even harder when the blame's coming down. I know, Miranda. I'm glad you could help each other."

The young maiden swallowed hard, looking Shepard straight in the eyes. "Thank you. I... I was... "

Miranda took a few moments before lightly touching Lav's wrist. "At night we often found each other. To discuss our day, our patients, our thoughts and feelings about the situation. I thoroughly enjoy being around her, it took us actually a long time to... to confess our feelings for each other."

She lovingly stared in the large, lavender gems and felt her heart hammer in her chest. "I'm so very happy you're here... with me."

"Oh gosh they're going to kiss again!" Jane gabbed with her mouth full of biscuit, rolling her eyes.

Miranda did not care. Apparently, neither did Ciux. Tenderly embracing each other they kissed, cherishing the moment.

Liara studied the flowers while munching on biscuits. Jane had some orange juice.

"Ok you two - save it for later!"

Reluctantly Miri let go. "Yes.. you're right. Now tell me what you've been up to since leaving the hospital?"

"I'll tell you on the way. Let's head for the dance."


Shepard rolled her eyes. It was as she'd feared. Councillor Sparatus and Tevos had delivered lengthy, lengthyyy speeches before a few more Alliance and Council dignitaries felt the need to drone on and on about the war. In between she'd received a few medals but overall it had been a boring few hours. She sipped her champagne, her third glass.

Politician's playfield. Boring as hell.

Completely ignoring the current speech she studied her surroundings. The room was quite dark, painted mostly in browns. Evergreen branches with many, many tiny lights covered almost every wall while a huge Pine tree sat in the far left corner, beautifully decorated with classical silver and red ornaments. A white and silver angel shone at the top. It made her feel warm, at home.

Someone did a lovely job with the Christmas decorations!

Over a dozen circular tables had been placed in the large room, each seating 12. Her own table featured mostly crew from the Normandy and one Turian Spectre she vaguely recognized. EDI and Samantha Traynor were engaged in conversation and Jane raised one eyebrow as she noticed the two holding hands.

Traynor?

Samantha gave her a shy smile but didn't let go of the AI's hand.

Shepard felt proud as she realized nearly all of her crew were ignoring the speech. Most of them were enthusiastically drinking champagne, Vega already had a dazed look in his eyes. Grunt and Wrex were devouring a huge stack of fish, Garrus was staring at the ceiling humming to himself. Miranda and Ciux enjoyed the champagne while completely failing to keep their hands of each other.

Seeing the couple so head-over-heels was beyond cute. Jane's eyes sparkled as she watched their animated body language.

Nice!

That was the exact same moment the speech ended and Councillor Tevos took the microphone. She raised her left hand, glass of champagne held high. "Please rise everyone. Join me for a toast to victory. A toast to new life, a fresh start for the entire Galaxy!"

They rose, and the voices of all races filled sounded as one. "Victory!" Obviously most of them had already enjoyed a lot of champagne, the wild shouting and celebration continued for quite a while. Listening to the clamor Jane made eye contact with Tevos who'd joined them at their table.

"Nice speech, Councillor."

Eyes sparkling, Tevos thoughtfully nodded. "Thank you, Spectre."

Lacking a drink, Grunt simply held his fish up high. "Tuchanka!"

Ciux was delighted when the speeches ended. She just wanted to get her hands on Miri. Well, even more. What kind of music were they going to play? Did Miranda want to dance rightaway? And what was that hideous tree with lights?

After the toast the lights dimmed and most tables and chairs were quickly ushered away to create space on the dance floor. The music started, a warm, slow waltz, and with an expectant smile she took Miranda's hand.

"May I have this dance, my lady?"

"Most certainly." Miri beamed with pleasure. Wrapping an arm around the maiden's slender waist she felt mesmerized by Lav's closeness, her sensual aura.

"I want to kiss you already", she whispered gratefully, "and much more than that..."

Lav smiled from ear to ear. "I like the sound of that... " Holding her breath she initiated the first steps, ensuring Miranda would follow. "Allow me - yes, turn right."

Within minutes they'd mastered the steps and elegantly circled the ballroom.

"Didn't you tell me Commander Shepard can't dance?" Ciux stared at the other couple. Jane looked almost regal in her Navy Alliance blues but she paled in comparison to Liara. An elegant black shortsleeved asari dress with one bright orange stripe right down the middle. It gloriously accentuated her stunning body. As she danced the dress kissed every inch of her proud, generous curves.

She noticed she was biting her lower lip. Turning to Miri she realized Miranda had been watching her all along.

"Liara... Commander Shepard..."

Miranda gently laid her index finger on the maiden's lips. "I know."

Blinking twice Lav grinned. "I didn't mean to stare..."

"Their beauty and charisma is undeniable. Beauty attracts. Natural law." Thinking of her recent discovery that she was bisexual Miri added, "even in ways one doesn't expect. Besides, I'm very close with Jane and Liara." For a second she considered telling Ciux just how close. Not yet. Too early. Wait.

They started a new dance. "I love holding you... " Ciux murmured, fondly caressing Miri's back, "Your skin is so soft."

"Mmm..." Miranda leaned into her steps, enjoying the warm, pleasant touch on her back. The sensual dance, the young, gorgeous maiden in her arms - it had to be a dream. Too good to be true. Staring deep into Ciux's fantastic lavender eyes she sighed with pleasure. "This is already one of the best night of my life."

"I feel the same way..." a sweet whisper, the asari nearly blushing as she locked onto Miri's eyes. For a magical moment they gazed deep into each other's soul, completely open. The music seemed to fade. Warmth spilled all around them, the dance became a fluid dream as they kissed. Gentle at first, more urgent and needy as their spirits embraced. "Oh Miri..."

Feeling someone tap on her shoulder Lav looked up to see Shepard's toothy grin.

"Swap!"

She took hold of the maiden's waist and off they went. Before Miri could decide if she should feel annoyed or amused she found herself in Liara's arms.

A new waltz and Liara smiled at her. "She's absolutely gorgeous," the asari stated while she nodded at Ciux, "funny and spontaneous. Good choice Amaranth."

"Thank you." Miri felt a light blush crawl up her cheek. The term 'Amaranth' didn't have a proper translation, but 'intimate friend' was probably the closest.

She focused on her new girlfriend. "Lav and I... we work so well together. One word or a gesture is enough. We complement each other!" The words came out in a wild rush, as if she herself was surprised by them. "I'm so comfortable around her Liara, it almost feels like magic. It's too early to call it love, but..."

"You suspect it is. You hope it is. I'm so happy for you."

Holding Liara tightly Miri smelled that light cinnamon scent, reminding her of all the wonderful times she'd had with the power couple. Was she going to lose that now that she was in a relationship? She gazed into Liara's fantastic bright blue eyes. "But... but I still love being your Amaranth. How's that going to work?"

"Time will tell. For now, enjoy this evening." Almost reverently she touched Miri's hair, weaving her fingers through the marvelous curls. "Beautiful. We can all enjoy each other." The emphasis she put on the word 'all' was undeniably sexual. Pulling her friend even closer Liara made sure their breasts were touching, suggestively sliding against the other with the sensual movements of their dance.

"Oh!" Gasping at Liara's shamelesness Miri quickly scanned the room. All the couples seemed absorbed in each other. As it should be. At the far end of the floor she noticed Shepard and Ciux, talking in a very animated fashion.

Over and over her large boobs brushed against Liara's and Miranda felt her chest glowing hotly. "Mmm..." Biting her lower lip, moaning oh-so-quietly she felt her nipples harden, pressing into the soft fabric of her bra. Liara had to be feeling the same thing because she heard the maiden's breathing quicken, noticed her chest rising and falling more rapidly. "Blue! What are you doing?"

Grinning mischievously the asari twirled, taking two fast steps before pulling Miri snug against her. Exceptionally snug. "I'm playing. With one of my best friends. You want me to stop?"

Not for the first time did Miranda realize that not only she'd changed, Liara'd changed as well. Gone was the shy, sometimes overly serious maiden. The bold asari in her arms radiated strength, confidence and a raw sensuality that could not be denied. Awesome.

"Your spirit shines brightly," she murmured in Liara's ear, "I truly admire you."

"Goodness you're tall," At five foot seven Jane was used to looking up - both Liara and Miri were about six foot. Lav had to be close to six foot three. "Good thing I got heels."

Feeling a bit nervous Ciux lightly kept her hand on Shep's waist. She could barely believe it - dancing with Commander Shepard! "Eh, yes. I don't even own heels. Don't wanna stick out too much."

"For a proper dance you'll have to hold me closer." Pressing the asari's hand onto her waist Jane bared her teeth. "I won't bite. Much."

Ciux giggled, immediately feeling more at ease around the war hero. "Thanx Jane."

Enjoying the warm, slender body against hers Jane smelled that lovely light cinnamon. "Asari. Do you all smell that good?"

Blushing lightly Lav missed a step, nearly tripping over. "Oh! S-sorry."

Jane caught her and instantly decided to tease her a bit more. "I thought you knew this dance?"

Ciux stared up at her in bewilderment. "I am... I mean..."

Smiling from ear to ear Jane gently squeezed the asari's shoulder. "Relax dear, I'm just messing with ya."

"Oh! You!" Regaining her composure the young maiden suddenly took over the lead. "Allow me!"

"Of course. Usually good things happen when I follow asari."

Sensing Jane's sincerity Lav finally relaxed and pulled her much closer to herself. "You like teasing me, Commander?"

"Absolutely. But it's all Liara's fault."

Ciux giggled. She looked into Jane's eyes. "I'm stunned we're having this dance together. 'Commander Shepard the war hero' was always the image on the news. And now you're h-here and we're dancing and..."

"Sssh. Relax." Jane whispered.

"It's nice to see the person behind the myth."

"I'm simply flesh and blood. Pinch me and I'll scream."

Lav pinched her. Shepard screamed.

People stared.

Laughing out loud they firmly held each other. "I like you." Jane stated, holding Lav's gaze, "and I've seen the way Miri looks at you. She likes you a lot."

"I know." Ciux's voice was vibrant, warm. "It's unbelievable. I'm so grateful."

"Swap." Liara whispered next to Shep's ear. She allowed Jane to quickly down another champagne while a slow song started. With happy smiles they wrapped their arms around each other and started a sensual, intimate shuffle.

"I wonder how the Council came up with the idea of Christmas decorations? "

Liara grinned mischievously and Jane picked up on it. "You did this? Shadow Broker work?"

Taking two small steps the asari stared deep into Jane's fantastic brown gems. She felt her heartbeat speed up, felt her arousal building. Did dancing qualify as an aphrodisiac? Or was it the champagne?

"I wanted to keep it a secret but that's impossible when I see that twinkle in your eyes. You're adorable when you're curious." She planted a small kiss on Jane's cheek. "I love you. Merry Christmas Shepard."

"Merry Christmas to you... that's very thoughtful." Shepard nodded at all the decorations, "I have many fond memories of Christmas. Decorating the tree, opening my gifts in the morning. My mother went out of her way to surprise us."

"I know," Liara murmured, pulling Jane even closer, "You've shared all those memories." The warm human felt supple, magical in her arms. Humming with pleasure she caressed Jane's back as she focused on the magnificent, precious body pressing against hers. "I just want you to be happy."

"You've done that," Jane sighed with pleasure. She felt fantastic. The world was good. Reapers gone, dancing with the love of her life at Christmas time. "You're doing that."

"Excellent. Now all we need is presents. What do you want?"

For a full minute Jane was silent. "There's only one thing I want. You. Perhaps... could you... could you wear those long white stockings tonight? I'd love to see you in those. I want you for Christmas - in sexy lingerie!"

Liara grinned. She dropped her voice an octave, doing a damn good imitation of Tevos's voice. "Very naughty, Spectre. I like it."

Laughing out loud Jane intimately placed her hands on Liara's hips. "Fabulous! Now, my dear Councillor, what can I get you for Christmas?"

Liara was waiting for the question. Her eyes sparkled with mischief. Feeling wonderfully scandalous she brought her lips to Shep's ear.

"I want to shave your pussy."

The expression on Jane's face was priceless. Delight, surprise. Mostly excitement. She slapped Liara's shoulder. "You're bad. Bad asari!"

It took Liara all her effort not to laugh as she did her Tevos voice again. "Allow me to show you the Council's good intentions, Spectre."

Bending at the waist Jane laughed so hard that a few couples looked their way.

"Oh Blue! What a fabulous plan. Yes we can do that tonight!" She adored Liara's fascination with her hair. All her hair. "Not just shave, I hope. What else are you going to do with me?"

Passionately stroking Jane's slim waist the asari flashed a wicked smile. "Many things. All of them very enjoyable."

Many dances later and a lot of champagne later the evening dwindled to a close. As they left the ballroom Miri prepared to say goodbye.

"Oh no you don't." Liara stated decisively. "You're staying with us. We've got a huge apartment."

"Our hotel is only minutes away... " Miranda objected, but in her heart she wanted to join Jane and Liara. Would Ciux be ok with that?

"No discussion," Liara waved her finger, "come with us. We'd love to have you."

Lav spoke before Miri got a chance. "Sounds great, thanx!"

Offering her arm to the tall maiden Jane sensed her body glow with warmth. Was it the alcohol? Or was she simply happy? Happiness had been so far away during the war. Did she forget what it felt like?

"Good! You're very welcome dear. And don't worry, the bedrooms are all soundproof."

They all locked arms while Miri rolled her eyes. "Never change Shepard."

Arm in arm the four strolled down the wide Presidium avenue, enjoying the lovely evening air. The soft murmur of the distant fountains provided a peaceful, soothing sound. Listening to nature Shepard became aware of a place deep inside herself, a place she didn't know she was reaching for. Until now. Inhaling through her nose she marveled at her serenity, feeling completely at ease.

War is over. Spending time with my lover and friends. How could it get better than this?

She pulled the asari on either side closer. "This is the stuff dreams are made of. Peace love and understanding. I'd love to spend the rest of my life like this."

The rest of the company seemed to sense her mood. They leisurely meandered down the boulevard, affectionately holding each other in the magical tranquility of the moment.