A/N: As always, thanks to Rae for her help with this chapter. Just out of curiosity, how far would those of you who are reading this want the story to go? Do you just want up to the relationship resolution? Or would you want a bit after? I'm still a bit undecided on that, so I thought some input from my readers would be helpful. Enjoy!
"Can I help you, Commander?" Miranda asked.
Shepard strode in, plopped down on a chair, and shrugged at Miranda. "No, not particularly," Shepard said leisurely, which earned a glare from Miranda.
"I am very busy, Commander. If there's nothing I can do for you, I would like to get back to it," Miranda replied. While she did find Shepard intriguing and very attractive, Miranda always put her work first. She especially hated being interrupted. She returned her attention to her terminal and hoped that Shepard would get the message and leave.
Shepard remained undaunted and stayed put in the chair, going over notes and mission logs on her omni-tool and casting the occasional glance over at Miranda. Despite the 'Ice Queen' persona that Miranda gave off, Shepard thought there was much more to the woman. She was determined to break through Miranda's walls and find out more about her.
At first Miranda was able to keep her concentration on the terminal in front of her, but soon Shepard's continued presence waned on her, and she felt herself becoming more and more distracted by it. If she wasn't trying to work, Miranda might have enjoyed having Shepard in her company. She fully intended to learn more about the woman on a more intimate level. Right now, Shepard was just getting in the way of her routine and it was driving her nuts. "Why are you still here?" she asked out of annoyance.
"I don't have much else to do, and Mordin and Garrus are settling in just fine, so I thought I'd come and talk to you," Shepard said. There was some truth to that statement. Mordin and Garrus were, in fact, settling in just fine. Shepard did have other things to do, but getting to know her XO was high on her priority list. Shepard still didn't trust Miranda at this point, and neither did Garrus. He suggested that she should get to know Miranda better to see if she was really part of the team, or if she would flip on them the second Cerberus gave the word.
Miranda was pleased that Shepard wanted to talk, but she was not in the mood at the moment. Shepard was going to work off of her schedule, not the other way around. "I would like that. I must ask that it be later, though, after I have finished my work. I will call for you when I am ready," Miranda stated commandingly.
Shepard looked at her quizzically, but nodded. "All right. We'll talk later. See you then, Miranda," Shepard said, walking off. Shepard hadn't ever had someone speak so authoritatively to her since she was in boot camp, but that differed much different from the tone that Miranda used. She wasn't sure exactly how she felt about it, but she knew she didn't dislike it. She silently wished that Liara would use that tone with her, which brought a frown to her face as she remembered nobody could tell her where Liara actually was. Sighing, she decided to return to her cabin and catch a well-deserved nap.
Liara lay on her couch and stared out of her window, a glass of fine Thessian wine in her hands. She took a sip of the drink, and swirled the rest of it in the glass. Her other hand absently stroked over the familiar necklace around her neck, her fingers tracing the grooves in the metal. Shepard's dog-tags meant a great deal to her, one of the few reminders she had left of her. Shepard gave them to her right before they both dropped down onto Ilos, her promise of making it out alive. After they defeated Saren, Shepard wanted her to keep them as a symbol of her dedication to her.
When Shepard had died, Liara tried to cast away any reminders she had of Shepard, only to feel cold and empty without the dog-tags around her neck. Now, her Isabelle was alive and the dog-tags were her symbol of hope. My Isabelle, she repeated in her head, causing a panic to stir. What if she hates me for giving her over to Cerberus? What if I'm not ready to see her? The pain is still so fresh for me, even after two years. She's also going to go through the Omega 4 relay. That thought left a huge pit in Liara's stomach, one that she hadn't felt for a very long time.
Liara finished off the glass of wine, setting it on the nearby table. Tears were now falling, both of frustration and sadness. She knew that she needed to see Isabelle, needed to feel the warmth of her embrace and the centering beat of her heart. On the other hand, she was extremely terrified as well. For once, she could not figure out how she would react to such an event. She curled up on the couch, unable to stop the tears from falling. Her grip around Shepard's dog-tags turned into a death grip, as if she were holding desperately to Shepard's spirit to keep it from being taken from her. She cried for several hours after that and eventually passed out on the couch. Her sleep was not peaceful, though, and she found herself haunted by a nightmare of Shepard's death, one that had plagued her for many months after the destruction of the Normandy, one that had almost caused her to take her life.
"So, what would you like to talk about, Commander?" Miranda asked, lounging leisurely on her couch facing Shepard.
"Just wanna know who Miranda Lawson is," Shepard said. "Let's start with family, you got any?"
Miranda's face turned to stone slightly, but if she were ever to get Shepard into bed, she'd need to open up slightly. That, and keep giving Shepard suggestive views of her assets. Still, family wasn't a subject that Miranda was anywhere near discussing with the human Commander. "I have a shitty family, and would prefer not to talk about it beyond that," she said.
Shepard frowned sympathetically. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. What do you do for fun?" Shepard asked, clearly changing subject.
"I don't have time for fun," Miranda said dismissively. Miranda lived for her work, and rarely spent time indulging herself.
"Come on, there has to be something you enjoy doing," Shepard pushed. She found it trying to break through Miranda's barriers maddening.
Miranda thought for a second before a grin appeared across her face. "I enjoy sex," she said in a seductive voice.
Shepard blushed a bit at Miranda's bluntness, but quickly recovered. "I'm surprised. You make it seem like you're so into working that I thought you might not even know about sex, let alone enjoy it," Shepard giggled.
Miranda frowned at Shepard's teasing. "I'll have you know I'm quite skilled in bed," Miranda said proudly.
"Well, I'm glad I learned something new about you, because apparently I have you figured all wrong. What do you enjoy that isn't sexual?" Shepard asked.
Miranda thought for a while until something popped into her mind. "I enjoy rock climbing," she said. "I don't get to go often, due to commitments to my work."
Shepard was surprised at this admission. "I love rock climbing! It was my favorite thing to do as a child. I tried to take Liara one time, but she found it much too difficult and didn't enjoy it," Shepard said, immediately regretting mentioning Liara because of the depression that followed.
Miranda did her best to hide her scowl at the mentioning of Liara's name. I need to keep her mind off that stupid little asari. "Perhaps we could go climbing sometime. I hear the Citadel has excellent rock climbing facilities. Perhaps I could give you some pointers," Miranda teased, as she scooted closer to Shepard and leaned forward slightly.
Shepard's gaze drifted down to Miranda's cleavage for a moment, until she mentally berated herself for doing so and snapped her gaze back up at Miranda. "Umm, sure. That would be nice," Shepard said shyly, embarrassed by checkout out Miranda. "Don't think they you'll give me pointers Lawson, I'll wipe the floor with you," she said cockily.
Miranda smiled at Shepard checking her out. "Challenge accepted, Commander. Next time we're on the Citadel we can settle who is the better climber," she said. And we'll see if I can't get you into bed.
"We'll see about that, Miranda. I've got to make my rounds of the ship, but it was nice talking to you," Shepard said, getting up off the couch.
"Likewise, Commander. Have a good night." Miranda returned to her terminal, very pleased with herself. Perhaps Shepard won't be as hard as I thought. Miranda smiled and returned to her reports, humming to herself in amusement.