I Do Not Own Mass Effect or any of it's Characters
Chapter Seventeen: Through a Camera's eyes
Liara sat comfortably on the couch in Shepard's cabin. Wayne stood lightly tapping his aquarium. This unexpected visit wasn't unwelcome but still a little heads up would have been nice. Wayne offered to run down and make her some tea but she was fine.
"You seem nervous, Shepard. Is something wrong?" Liara asked. Wayne diverted his eyes from Liara rubbed the back of his neck and replied.
"Nervous what makes you say that?" Liara gave him a once over and said casually.
"Well, it was just whenever something was bothering you, you would stand and fidget like you're doing now." Wayne instantly found a seat at his desk with his hands cradled together at his keyboard. Liara beamed and pointed out.
"And whenever I pointed it out you would do exactly that." Wayne felt like an open book at a library. That was doubly true when Liara was around, the book worm she was. He felt himself start to fidget again…this was now a very complicated position to be in.
"It's good to see you, Liara, what brings you here?" Wayne asked uncertainly. Liara edged forward and picked up the turned over picture of herself from Wayne's end table. Her fingers lightly tracing the sides of the frame.
"I remember when this was taken. Do you still have that camera?" Wayne sheepishly smiled and pulled out a dinged up Kodak. He tossed it over to her and said happily.
"All the pictures are still on the memory chip." Liara joyfully clicked the power button. However as she scanned through the pictures her good mood was lightly soured. There were new pictures of Tali and Wayne. It was a hard reminder for Liara that she was no longer with the Commander. When Liara reached the photos of Wayne and herself she nearly put the Kodak down. Instead she waved the Commander over and had him sit next to her.
Together they went through over sixty pictures. Most were on the Citadel while others were on the exotic planets they had visited during their time on the first Normandy. Some were serious pictures of them holding hands, hugging or kissing and mixed in were shots of the two making faces. One in particular was Wayne inside of a mall holding a dress to his frame while making a weird smiley face. Liara stood next to him while she tried on a nice dress coat and wore a top hat. Upon seeing this picture Liara face palmed and turned to face Wayne.
"I thought you said you deleted this?" Liara whined a squeaky voice. Wayne smirked and replied shamelessly.
"From my computer." Liara's head sunk. She placed the camera down and remarked.
"I still remember that clerk's face as he took the photo. It was…unique." Wayne chuckled.
"Don't you mean hilarious?" Liara instantly said no and added.
"No, just unique." Wayne frowned and looked off into the distance. He was silent for a brief moment then imitated the face in question. He turned his head from side to side and said with mirth.
"So you don't find this funny?" Liara bit her lip and cast her eyes downward trying her hardest to avoid eye contact and said in wavering voice.
"As I said unique..." Wayne stopped, a big toothy grin spreading from ear to ear.
"Not funny at all? Not even a little?" Liara continued looking downward even more bashful than before. Turning to Wayne she breathed.
"Wayne, stop, please." Wayne licked his lips and pulled away. He rested his arms on his knees and picked up the Kodak. He thumbed through the pictures until he found one in particular. It was during a vacation on the resort world of Benla. Wayne was in a causal dress suit and Liara…well she was in the most luxurious dress Wayne had ever seen. This was a special photo for both of them. It was the last time they were together before the first Normandy was shot down. Wayne made a crooked half smile and lightly nudged Liara. When she looked at the camera she felt as if she wanted to wrap her arms around the Commander but she refrained from doing so. Instead she gave Wayne a quick hug and stood.
"Well, Commander, I should get going. I don't want to keep you." Wayne held her hand and said quickly.
"Oh, no it's fine. You can stay if you want." Liara reassured him that it was okay and made for the elevator. She turned on her heel before exiting and said happily.
"It's been a long way here, once I get some rest we'll have to meet up again." Wayne offered a wry smile and nodded his head.
"Is tomorrow good for you?" Wayne asked. Liara agreed and said her farewells before heading down on the elevator.
Tali was pacing with her blanket snuggly wrapped around her frame. She cursed in quarian ringing her hands together and kicked the frame of her mattress. Garrus watched in amused silence as this continued on until she crashed down next to him.
"Tali, calm down…nothing is going to happen." Her head snapped to face Garrus. Even through her face plate it was easy to tell that she glaring.
"I know nothing will happen and I am calm!" Garrus raised his hands up in surrender as Tali stood again. A single thought ran through Garrus's head that made his mandibles twitch. A part of him wanted to say something…the other was being very wise...the unwise part of himself won.
"I would hate to see you upset." Garrus said nonchalantly. Tali froze…her piercing eyes locked onto Garrus and she hissed.
"I am going to go check on those two and you are coming with me." Tali started to make for the door but Garrus stopped her.
"Whoa there, Tali. Just take some deep breathes, try some yoga, sit down…or something." Tali tried to protest but Garrus forced her to sit.
"You trust Wayne, right? You know he would never do anything. He's like my brother, I know him and I know he wouldn't do anything." Tali nodded her head in agreement before firing back.
"I do trust him, I do…it's the other one I don't trust!" Tali started to stand but again Garrus made her sit.
"Liara wouldn't either, Tali she's a…"
"I know but still they were all embracing eternity the last them they saw each other and…and… what does embrace eternity even mean!"
"For all I care it could mean a Krogan's night of sensual…" Tali forced one hand toward Garrus's mouth.
"Don't finish that sentence! I do not need that mental image right now." Garrus smirked.
"Took your mind off of Shepard and Liara right?" Tali chuckled and took her seat back next to Garrus. She lightly tapped the back of her head against her wall and let out an agitated huff.
"I'll tell you right now, if I do find out she tried getting with my Shepard, I'll embrace her eternity…with a shotgun…" Garrus narrowed his eyes a little with curiosity and couldn't help but ask.
"What is your fascination with shotguns?" Tali innocently shrugged.
"I don't know. It might have had something to do with my father getting me one for my going away gift before my pilgrimage…that or I just like them... give or take." Garrus shrugged and stood.
"I'm going up to rummage up a television or something so we can watch a movie." Tali jumped up and had Garrus take his seat."
"It's okay, I have it covered. Chiktikka, could you kick up projection mode, please?" Within seconds Tali's drone activated and started to produce a projection across her room on the adjacent wall. Garrus stood again and offered.
"I'm just going to grab some snacks, anything you want in particular?"
"Maybe some turian yogurt, don't be long." Garrus nodded and was off. It took him about five minutes or so until he came back with a handful of injection tubes for Tali and for himself a bag of Jekta, the turian version of potato chips. Plopping down on the bed he passed her the injection tubes and then they started the movie.
"What flick we watching?" Garrus asked before ripping into the bag of Jekta.
"A turn of the century earth alien flick." Garrus shuttered.
"Really? Couldn't we watch Blasto instead at least we'll get some laughs out of it." Tali shook her head authoritatively
"My projection drone, my movie. You could leave if you want." Garrus let out an exasperated breath and took a bite from his chips.
"What's the flick?" Tali flipped up her Omni Tool and did a quick search
"It's called Predator...Kasumi highly recommended it. She said that you might like it." Garrus's mandibles froze…this sounded familiar…something was fishy.
When Liara returned to her private shuttle she made for her quarters and collapsed onto the bed. She removed everything save for her underwear and found one of her oversized tee shirts. Liara threw it on and clicked on her stereo. Today was a good day… well…almost. Her hands lightly clutched at her shirt as she threw the covers of her bed over her. What was with her…she could have said so much more things to Wayne. Liara had so much on her mind it physically started to hurt. Rationally Liara knew that she didn't still hold any feelings for the Commander. Yet on another level there was something there. Confused and a little more than upset Liara called out.
"Glyph, run holo-vid 22-SL, please." The management drone activated a three dimensional hologram taking place in front of Liara. It was of Shepard and herself on Benla. They were lying down together on a beach. The holographic Liara held the camera and asked seductively.
"Commander, I do believe you promised to put tanning lotion on my back." Wayne was in board shorts, his tight muscles glistening in the warm tropical sun. He smiled a big goofy smile as he sat next to her under the parasol and said happily.
"Dr. T'Soni…I never knew you could be so brazenly bold."
"There are a lot of things you do not know, Commander, such as what I have in store for you tonight." The hologram of Shepard grinned, began applying the lotion and teased.
"Oh no…you're not planning on taking advantage of poor old me, are you? Is that it, do you only love me for my body, then take me, take me now and be done with it!" There was laughter both from the hologram and Liara. The hologram version of herself continued to chuckle and added.
"Wayne, you're attracting attention." He only smiled and said in a near whisper.
"Then let them see." Before planting a light kiss on her lips. The camera cutting off shortly after that.
"Glyph, holo-vid 23-Sl, please." Liara asked quietly. The management drone cycled through the recordings, random ones beginning before finding the right one. It was later that night at their hotel. They were on a sun crested patio with a piano in the backdrop. This was their final day on the resort world before his shore leave ended.
"Have you ever had dreams for the future, Wayne?" The holographic version of Liara asked. There was a slight glitch at this point but it quickly readjusted. The holographic Wayne only smiled and pulled Liara close and brought her into frame of the camera.
"I had one." He said in a low voice. Liara smiled as she pulled her pillow up to her chest. The holographic Liara asked coquettishly before pulling Wayne in close to her.
"And what dream was that?" Wayne placed the camera down and said huskily.
"That, beautiful, is a secret." Liara smiled as the recording ended.
"Holo-vid 24-SL, please." Liara chimed. It took a moment for Glyph to reconfigure the vid player for the next hologram. When it was set the recording began. Wayne was holding a camera with the lens facing him.
"Today, we have to pack and leave…but I don't want to leave." He moved the camera to face a sleeping Liara.
"How about you, Liara? Do you feel like going? No snores for yes, one snore for no." The sleeping figure lightly stirred before waking up.
"Turn that thing off Wayne…it' s too early" The pixelated Liara groaned. Wayne chuckled and turned the camera back to face him.
"She's grumpy."
"I'm not…just tired, go to sleep." Wayne grinned and lightly kissed Liara on the crown of her forehead.
"Is there anything you want to say to the camera or any of our possible little blue..." The holographic Liara's eyes fluttered open and playfully ripped the camera from Shepard's hands. The recording cut off there. Liara replayed that last part twice before having Glyph end the program. With that Liara made her way to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and collapsed back onto her bed. Glyph floated beside her and suddenly asked.
"Dr. T'Soni, if I may? A query?" Liara lazily looked to her drone and managed.
"What?" Glyph floated closer toward her and asked.
"After reviewing these recordings with you I have come to a conclusion…however with set variables there is an error in my calculation. Why are you no longer with the Commander." This woke Liara up. She eyed her drone and said tentatively
"Things change." Glyph unhappy with the answer pressed his point.
"All variables suggest that the Commander should still be with you, yet is not. I am merely curious if I am incorrect." Liara replied flatly
"Yes, Glyph you are wrong." The drone seemed satisfied. However a couple seconds later he asked.
"Another query, Dr.T'Soni. Do you believe that you should still be together with Commander Shepard?" Liara slightly narrowed her eyes and commanded.
"Glyph, hibernate mode." The drone obeyed and shut down all his primary systems. Now Liara was wide awake, what Glyph had said floating around in her head. It was a good question. A really good question…
A/N
Sup peoples! Liara's turn for some action in the coming chapters! Constructive Criticism Is Welcome!