The mess hall emptied quickly, leaving the asari alone once more. Liara's predicament was unusual. She habitually sought use of the extranet console in her cozy office, but she would need to pass through the medical bay in order to reach it. She had no desire to wake the weary spectre, but she could not simply wait for hours on end for during Shepard's slumber.
The lone asari glanced about the mess hall before extracting her access card for the medbay. Like the medbay itself, her office was also warmer than most of the Normandy. Doctor Liara T'Soni was accustomed to solitude, but something about being alone in the chilly mess hall made her feel inexplicably exposed and vulnerable.
Shepard.
She would sneak the medical bay quickly and quietly. Getting to the warm seclusion of her office was all that mattered. It was a simple enough goal, though she was in no real hurry to accomplish it.
A gentle hum, and the unlocked door swished open. T'Soni stepped through the corridor, where the medbay lights were heavily dimmed. Even so, it was easy to spot Shepard in the dark. Her skin was milky, like creamy custards of asari master chefs, heavenly smooth and sometimes garnished with fresh berries.
Liara had not tasted custard in a long time.
She shook thoughts of food from her head. She was not even hungry in the slightest, and she was unsure why her mind wandered to such things. Neurons and impulses seemed to fire wildly in Shepard's presence, apparently even during sleep.
Feline steps brought the asari to the length of Shepard's bare body. How many people in the galaxy could claim to have seen a sleeping spectre?
Still, T'Soni was a scientist, not a shallow spectator. Shepard appeared so relaxed, so peaceful, she was almost unrecognizable. Low lighting was no match for the acute visual memory of an asari scientist, however. A vertical scar laced Shepard's right cheek, framing that rare yet noble smile. The high bridge of her nose bisected the symmetry of dark brows, and echoed the parting hair black as infinite space. Tactile memory of those silky black strands tickling sensitive blue skin made the asari doctor shiver uncontrollably.
"Couldn't resist a peak, huh?"
Startled, Liara nearly lost her supposedly stealthy footing and grasped the edge of the exam table for support.
"Shepard, you frightened me!" Liara sucked in a breath of relief. "I am sorry, I did not mean to-"
"Forget it", Shepard murmured, the whites of her eyes now visible. "Wouldn't be much of a spectre if I let some little sedative pull me down now, would I?"
T'Soni blinked.
"Chakwas turned in for the night?"
"Yes", Liara nodded. "Captain Anderson visited as well. We thought you would be resting".
"I was resting. Got plenty of energy now", Shepard leered suggestively at the asari while sliding herself off the table. Commanding hands instantly went to work on the familiar fasteners of T'Soni's sleek academic uniform.
"Commander", Liara crooned, though she found no words of protest to follow.
"Yes, Doctor?" Shepard spoke sweetly while forcefully stripping the asari of her garments.
"Are you sure this is-" the hushed asari struggled to articulate her thoughts, "the appropriate time?" The spectre laughed silently, and Liara felt warm breath puffing upon her neck.
"It's never an appropriate time", came Shepard's effortless explanation.
Doctor Liara T'Soni could not have analyzed the spectre's wisdom if she wanted to. Shepard's lips were torturously gentle upon her throat, teeth delightfully sharp upon her round shoulder.
Respiration grew heavy, twin tempo steadying into a single harmonious cadence. The Normandy's darkened medbay became a moonlit beach, blue waves undulating upon pale brackish sand.