Three Little Lovebirds
Chapter 22 – A New Beginning
Lucy left the Medbay feeling truly optimistic for the first time since the whole sorry affair with Saren and the Reapers began. Somehow, in this moment of unbridled happiness, every insurmountable obstacle in their path seemed to recede into the background. All was right between her and Liara, and for now, she could almost believe that all was right with the galaxy too.
Her mood was only somewhat dampened by the prospect of the conversation she was going to have with Tali. They'd made steps in the right direction, and now with the certainty that Liara was willing to at least attempt a more unconventional solution to their dilemma, things were looking up. That knowledge didn't stop the small niggling doubts at the back of her mind however. It had taken such strength from all of them to make it this far; she was just waiting for it to all come crashing down.
Some shore leave was in order. She had yet to read the official report, but there were most probably some repairs to the VI systems scheduled in the wake of the AI incursion. They could also use the opportunity to upgrade their computer systems to prevent anything like it from happening again.
I just wish I could remember what happened to me.
Without the recollections of her dream, it would be an almost impossible task to track down the source; they didn't have the time or resources to spare. Even spending a few days on the Citadel would set them back more than Lucy liked. She deemed it necessary though. If the rest of the crew was half as wearied by the past few days events as she was, they were in no fit state to go up against the Geth or anything else.
Besides, Lucy thought, smiling Some time away from the ship is just what me, Tali and Liara need. I know a few wonderfully romantic restaurants in the upper Wards. I'd better check the extranet to make sure they do Quarian food.
A small, wistful smile quirked the corner of her mouth. Why did all this have to come in the middle of a galactic crisis? She could happily spend weeks on the Citadel with her two favourite women. As it was, they were confined to whatever time they could snatch in-between missions. Perhaps, when all this was over...
First things first. She'd go and see Tali as soon as she was up to speed on the what the hell was going on.
"So, in a nutshell gentleman, we have no idea?"
Joker and Pressley, the acting CO during the attack, glanced at each other.
"Yeah, that's about it." Joker said, "I've got my own theories, but..."
"...they're probably best kept private." Pressley finished.
The impromptu meeting in the cockpit had been spectacular in its lack of detail. There wasn't even conclusive evidence that it had been the work of an AI at all, although Joker swore that he'd seen a face on one of the monitors in his peripheral vision. Pressley was sceptical that it had been anything other than a software failure, but all of them agreed that it was worth further investigation once they were docked. If it had just been a buggy line of code, fixing it was a priority matter. Technical difficulties could be just as dangerous to a starship as an enemy armada.
"I want an immediate update if you discover anything further. Oh, and Joker, this applies especially to you: don't go spreading around the rumour that an AI got onboard."
"But Commander, I.."
"One lick of gossip, and I'm confiscating your crutches until further notice."
Not waiting to hear whatever smart-assed reply her pilot had lined up, Lucy headed for the lift to engineering. She was beginning to get an uncomfortable fluttering in the pit of her stomach.
Engineering was somewhat more crowded than normal, with many of the crew pulling extra shifts to make sure everything was functioning normally again. Lucy hung back in the door for a second, until she spotted the familiar purple of Tali's headdress hunched over a console. Sucking in a deep breath, steeling her jittery nerves, she navigated her way through the bustle.
"Tali, you got a minute?"
"Oh...Shepard." The young engineer flicked off her omni tool. Lucy could hear the smile in her voice, "Er...should I call you Shepard when we're on duty?"
"Lucy's fine." The spectre replied, "Not that you're on duty anyway; your shift ended five minutes ago, and I seem to remember inviting a beautiful, charming Quarian to spend the evening in my quarters."
"Well, I have it on good authority that that Quarian would like nothing more in the whole-wide galaxy."
Laughing, Lucy took Tali's hand and ushered her towards the door. A few people glanced their way, but it seemed that the news of their relationship had reached everybody by now; no one looked at all surprised. Envious maybe, but not surprised.
"Are you okay Lucy?" Tali asked as they boarded the lift, "You seem...distracted?"
In truth, Shepard was desperately trying to think of how she could explain to Tali what had happened without sounding like a total bitch. She really wished that there'd been a chance to talk to her before the she'd spoken with Liara; but the whole thing had been so unexpected, so spur of the moment. Lucy still felt that telling the Asari the truth immediately had been the right thing to do, but that wasn't going to make this conversation any easier.
"I guess I am a bit." Lucy murmured.
Before Tali could reply, the lift stopped. Taking the Quarian's hand, Lucy placed a brief kiss on her knuckles as the doors opened.
"Jeez, get a room you two." Ashley chuckled as she boarded the lift to head down. As long as her and the commander were off duty, she never could resist the urge to tease her.
Smirking at the chance to show up the cocky marine, Lucy looked her dead in the eye.
"You know, I think we will." Turning to Tali, she added, "It's been a rather long day, and I'm feeling particularly frustrated."
It was hard to tell which of the two women blushed more. Satisfied that she was still the top-dog, Lucy slipped her arm around her partner's waist, and swept them into her cabin.
"Was that really necessary Lucy? Poor Ashley will be traumatized."
"Just keeping the rabble in their place." Shepard grinned.
"I do not think Chief Williams constitutes a rabble."
"You haven't seen her drunk."
Tali frowned.
"I have heard several of the engineers use that term, 'drunk'. What does it mean?"
Lucy was nonplussed for a second. She sometimes forgot how isolated Tali had been during her childhood. Growing up of the flotilla, where there was almost certainly no alcohol of any kind, it wasn't really surprising that she lacked knowledge in some areas.
"Well, with shore-leave coming up, I'm sure you'll have plenty of chance to, uh...observe the experience first-hand."
"Are you planning on getting 'drunk' then?" Tali seemed worried. It warmed Lucy's heart, not so much for the image of her drunkenly hitting on the Quarian, but for the implication that they would be spending their few free days together; which, of course, was exactly what the spectre wanted.
But would Tali change her mind once Lucy told her who she was hoping may join them?
"No, I've never been one for that kind of thing really. I prefer to maintain at least a basic control over my bodily functions." Her expression sobering slightly, she continued, "Listen, there's, um, there's something I have to tell you."
"I already know Lucy."
"I tol...wait, what?!"
Tali stared sheepishly at her feet.
"I-I already know, what you said to Liara. Dr. Chakwas told me."
"I-but..." Lucy floundered, "She wasn't even there, how could she..."
"She didn't know for a fact, but I worked it out from what she was saying. I bumped into her as she left the Medbay, and she, um, mentioned you were in there. I was worried for you Lucy; I asked her about what had happened, but she was vague...she said something about you helping Liara."
"Oh hell," Shepard whispered, dropping the young woman's hand and turning to stare out the viewport. "I'm so sorry Tali, I didn't mean for you to find out like this...I wanted to talk to you, but..."
"Wait, there's more." The Quarian was fidgeting with her fingers; something she only did when she was nervous, "I, uh, I was curious, so, um...when Chakwas left, I stuck around."
Lucy glanced at her.
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I swear; I was turning to leave when I heard someone crying. There was no one else around, so I-I...oh, Keelah...I listened at the door. I was worried it was you; I wanted to know you were okay, but then I heard you talking, a-and I couldn't stop listening."
"Oh Tali," Shepard whispered "You must hate me. Why didn't you say something immediately?"
"I didn't want to spoil tonight." The young Quarian sniffled slightly, but managed to keep her emotions in check "I don't hate you Lucy. What you said to Liara...you didn't know I was there. You could have told her anything; you could have lied to make things easier, but you didn't. I know you love me, and I know you love her. I trust you to try and do what's best for us."
"You sure?" Lucy asked, remembering the disastrous events of a few nights ago when she'd admitted she loved Liara. At first, Tali had seemed fine; it was only later that Shepard realised how much it hurt her. Despite their subsequent reconciliation Shepard still felt pangs of guilt whenever she thought about it.
"Yes," Lucy reached out and touched Tali's shoulder, relieved when she didn't recoil, "I let my insecurities get the better of me before...but after hearing what you said, I realised that I shouldn't have worried."
Shepard idly stroked the Quarian's arm, breathing a sigh of relief as the weight of apprehension lifted off her shoulders.
"You're a godsend Tali," She murmured, "I don't think I've ever met anyone with such a capacity for understanding...or forgiveness. Anyone else would have given up on me ages ago."
Tali drew her spectre into a hug, sighing at the bliss she never failed to find in her arms.
"You say such nice things." She whispered.
"Mmm, it's easy to say nice things about such a wonderful person." Lucy cooed, nuzzling up against the neckpiece of Tali's suit. "It's late darling, let's get some sleep...I want to be up fresh and early tomorrow so we can start planning our shore-leave together."
It was heart-warmingly domestic, watching Tali powering down her suit and setting the environment to night-mode while she went through her standard evening routine. Lucy wasn't used to sharing her quarters like this, but she found that she didn't miss the privacy one bit. Perhaps there'd always been a Tali-shaped hole in her life. Now that Liara's was filled too, well…she felt more complete than ever before.
Finishing up in the bathroom, Lucy dimmed the lights and slipped between the covers. Tali did the same, albeit not as gracefully. The young woman still wasn't quite used to sleeping in a normal bed.
"You're not uncomfortable are you darling?" Lucy whispered, wrapping an affectionate arm around her Quarian's slender waist, "It must be hard to relax in that suit."
It was hard to read Tali's body language in the dark, but Lucy could almost feel her thinking about the question.
"It can be," She admitted at last, "But it was much worse when I didn't have someone to 'snuggle' up to."
Lucy felt her heart flutter at the way her engineer said the word 'snuggle'. She'd taught it to her after a round of early morning lovemaking, when Tali had asked if there was an accurate human term to describe what they were doing. Remembering the way they'd clung to each other during release brought on an almost giddy excitement. Between Rael's visit, Liara's condition and AI attacks, they'd had barely any time to express their love for each other in a more…physical way. Plus, there was the issue of Tali's suit to consider. They'd already gone through the supply of vaccine boosters on board, much to Chakwas' chagrin, and it wouldn't be possible to get any more until they arrived at the Citadel, several days from now.
Still, Lucy thought to herself, Where there's a will, there's a way.
She shuffled herself closer to the Quarian, unconsciously mirroring Tali's actions the night they'd first realised their attraction. Almost imperceptibly, Lucy's hand that rested over her lovers flared hips began to trace tiny circles on her abdomen.
"You know," The spectre whispered, "I have a few techniques that may help you get a bit more comfortable."
In the deathly quiet, Tali's gulp was quite audible.
"S-Such as?" She whispered. Lucy was delighted to hear the breathless edge to Tali's voice; it meant that she could feel her touch through the suit. That would come in very handy for what she had planned.
"I'm not sure," Shepard murmured, sliding even closer until her body was pressed against the length of Tali's side, "Perhaps something like this?"
Lucy trailed her hand lower, sliding across the smooth fabric until it lightly nestled itself between her young lover's legs. Even through the suit, the intense heat of Tali's sex could be felt as comforting warmth against her skin. It wasn't the same as caressing real flesh, but if her Quarian's reactions were anything to go by, it must be nearly as good.
"Oh…oh Lucy," God, she sounds so sexy when she's aroused, "D-Don't stop!"
"Do you like that darling?" Lucy pressed her lips against Tali's jaw, making a point to kiss on the fabric where her Quarian would be able to feel it.
"Yesssss…" The young woman hissed, her hips twitching against Shepard's softly exploring hand.
Lucy continued to slowly probe Tali's nether regions with just enough pressure to be felt through the layers of material which separated them. She slipped her other arm under her lover's writhing body, cradling the young woman against her chest. As Tali's soft cries washed over her, she felt a fierce surge of protectiveness for her Quarian; for the woman who didn't hold anything back when it came to loving her. Everything about Tali was so open, so unguarded; it was as if Lucy could see straight through the layers of cloth, metal and flesh, right into the tender soul beneath.
Shepard didn't believe in heaven, but she found herself hoping that on the tiniest off-chance there was something waiting for her after death, that it would be this.
"Hold up darling, I have an idea." She whispered, helping Tali into a sitting position. Lucy scooted back until she felt the wall propping her up, then let Tali settle in the space between her legs so that they were both partially upright, with Shepard cuddling her Quarian from behind.
"Much better," Lucy continued, "Now as well as doing this…" She let her fingertips brush Tali's sex with a bit more vigour "…I can do this."
Her other hand alighted on the subtle swell of her lover's bosom; held firmly in place by the various belts across it. Shepard thrilled at how Tali urged herself into the touch, her chest rising to make greater contact with the spectre's gentle fingers. Softly, still unsure about how much pressure would be needed, Lucy began to squeeze the breast in her palm, delighting in the little squeak of pleasure that Tali emitted when she did.
"Mmmm, I love you so much darling." She cooed, placing heartfelt kisses along her engineer's trembling shoulders.
Shepard took it slowly for a while, getting both Tali and herself used to the new sensation of making love through the suit. She could happily spend hours doing so; every gentle moan sent shivers of pure delight tingling down her spine. No matter how much she was enjoying herself however, it was clear that Tali was on the verge of release. Lucy savoured the fact that she and she alone was the one who could give it to her. Every day, people lived and died based on the decisions she made, yet it was now, with the woman she loved on the verge of climax pressed to her heart, that she felt more powerful than she ever had done before. It wasn't the power to command men, or to best a foe in combat…it was the power to show Tali that, right now, she was the most important person in the universe to her.
"Oh, oh L-Lucy!" The young woman's words were only just coherent by now. Her thighs squeezed together, pressing Shepard's hand directly into her centre, "I…I think I…I think I'm g-going to…to…"
"It's okay love." The spectre murmured, squeezing her own legs a bit tighter to envelop her Quarian in a protective cocoon with her body, "Let go, I've got you…"
Lucy felt Tali stiffen. For one rapturous moment, her entire frame was frozen as the orgasm seized control of every muscle in her body. The cry that came with it was one of such utter passion, such raw emotion that for several days Lucy wouldn't be able to remember it without feeling weak in the knees.
As quickly as it came, the climax left and Tali's body collapsed into Shepard's waiting embrace. She hugged the sobbing woman with renewed intensity, whispering nonsense, soothing words into her ear as the aftershocks died away.
"You're amazing Tali." Lucy said, her voice shaky with sudden, overwhelming happiness. It was dizzying, like being drunk…she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Instead, she grabbed the still tearful Quarian and kissed her mouthpiece as if it were a pair of rosy, quivering lips.
Before, she'd seen the suit as an obstacle…something that must be overcome if they were to be together. Now she realised that it had been a part of Tali for so long that it was almost like a second skin. And like any skin, it responded to a lovers touch. They'd proven together that they could adapt…that what was once a problem could be turned into an opportunity; a chance to explore new, uncharted territory.
Lucy smiled, looking at the image of her partial reflection in Tali's visor superimposed over the gorgeous face beneath. Eyes brimming over with love stared back at her.
There was no doubt anymore; as long as they loved each other, nothing would ever break them apart.
And as long as she lived, Lucy would love Tali.