Ok so this chapter might be a bit random and not entirely sensible, but thats probably because I've had a bit to drink...
I decided that in honour of the latest dlc and the various similarities between it and this fic (I was completely unaware of the 'clone' thing until 'Sculla' made a comment about it a few days ago) that I would post an update. It's about time as well, I guess.
Anyway, enjoy ;) And be warned, there is some level of steaminess towards the end of this chapter so if you don't like... I did warn you...
Liara was in her room, tapping away at one of the many screens as usual. John drew in a deep breath as he stepped inside. He knew this conversation had the potential to go horribly wrong, but he also knew that it had to happen. It would be a greater wrong to keep quiet about the way he felt.
"Shepard, how did it go?" the Asari asked as she saw him enter.
John rubbed at the back of his neck.
"It was… awkward, to say the least. But overall not that bad, I guess."
"I see. That's good, right?"
"Yeah, suppose it is."
Liara stood and walked over to him, placing her hands on his chest and leaning in to kiss him. John turned his head away just before their lips touched. The Asari pulled back, confusion in her eyes.
"What's wrong?"
John sighed and looked from her face to the floor.
"We have to talk, Liara." He said softly.
The Asari took a step back.
"Ok. What do you want to talk about?"
"Well, 'us' for one." He said and walked over to lean against a wall.
"I see…"
"Look, I haven't been completely honest with you. I never thought It would turn out this way so I didn't think it mattered that much, but now-"
"You still care for him, don't you?" Liara interrupted, catching John a little off-guard.
For a moment John didn't know how to respond. He stood there dumbly, not entirely sure what to say.
"How long have you known?"
"Oh come on, John. It's quite clear, the way you've been acting lately. You're jealous of Jonathan."
"I- I didn't think it was that obvious…"
Liara walked over to where he stood and took his hands.
"Shepard, I can't change the way you feel. If you'd rather be with someone else…"
"Liara stop. Part of why I didn't say anything sooner was because I had grown to care about you in a very deep way. It's not the same as the way I feel about Kaidan, but it is just as strong."
John paused for a moment, looking into her bright blue eyes.
"Listen I know it sounds strange, but I don't know how to explain it… I care about you both and I don't want to loose either of you…" John whispered, his voice cracking with emotion.
The pain Liara saw in his eyes made her heart ache. She reached up with her hand and stroked his cheek. He leaned into the touch.
"Shepard, I think I understand how you feel, but… You can't have us both. You'll have to make a choice and you'll have to do it on your own. I'm not going to tell you to choose me. You have to do what your heart tells you to." She said and pulled his head down to place a kiss on his cheek.
Shepard stood staring at her for a moment as she backed away, moving to the console she had been working at earlier.
"Now, I have some work to get back to." She said and turned away.
Shepard slowly made his way to the door, his mind in a far away place. He didn't look back as he stepped through the entrance. If he had, he would have seen a tear roll down a blue cheek.
After about half an hour of silent contemplation John decided to go and find Kaidan. He checked the CIC, Mess, Crew Quarters and the Lounge but found no sign of the biotic. Last place left to look was the Observation Deck. As he crossed the hallway towards the door, he thought about what he was going to say exactly. He had been thinking about it for some time now, but as the moment approached his mind was all fuddled. He sighed and pressed his hand against the access panel. With a quite hiss the door slid open. John drew in a sharp breath as he stepped inside.
On the couch lay Jonathan. He was asleep, a data pad held loosely in his one hand. His other arm was wrapped around a sleeping Kaidan who lay next to him, his hand and leg draped over Jonathan's body. John was momentarily shocked. He stood staring at the scene before him for what felt like hours even though only a few seconds had passed. Kaidan stirred in his sleep, wrapping his arm around Jonathan and pulling him a bit closer. The man smiled slightly in his sleep and buried his face in Jonathan's chest.
John looked on for a few more moments before turning to leave. Strangely he felt no jealousy or anger as he had expected to. His mind was suddenly quite clear. He could not come between the two of them now. He had screwed it up. He smiled slightly as he glanced back for a second. They looked so peaceful together. He imagined what it would be like to be there in Jonathan's place. He savored that feeling for a moment before finally letting it go. As he walked away he let his emotions slip, pushing his love for Kaidan back into the darkness.
Liara turned in surprise as the door to her room slid open once more.
"Shepard, what's wrong?" she asked and walked over to him. She studied the look on his face, unsure of what she saw there.
"Did you speak to Kaidan? What did he-" she began but was interrupted when John suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into a passionate kiss.
"It's you, Liara. I choose you." He breathed and kissed her down the side of her neck.
Liara was both confused and overjoyed at the same time. She wanted to ask him about it, but the way his mouth was moving across her neck made her shiver with desire. She groaned as his tongue darted out to leave a searing trail on her skin. All protests forgotten she grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him towards the bed. The two of them furiously worked at removing their clothes as they stumbled towards it. Finally when both stood naked they grabbed at each other again, their bodies colliding in pleasure. As they fell back onto the bed, Liara thought she saw something odd in Shepard's eyes but she brushed it away as he leaned in to capture one of her breasts with his lips. She moaned in ecstasy. It was going to be a long night and she was going to make sure she enjoyed it. She would worry about everything else later.
A few moments earlier…
Kaidan's eyes opened as he heard the door close with a click. He lifted his head slightly and glanced around. When he saw no one else in the room he guessed that who ever had been there had just left. He lay his head back down and smiled at the warmth that radiated off of Jonathan's body. He moved his hand to stroke Jonathan's chest but stopped when he ran into an 'obstacle'. Lifting his head once more he saw that his hand was resting on Jonathan's crotch and by the looks of it Jonathan wasn't finding it at all an unpleasant situation. Kaidan's face flushed with embarrassment for a moment before an entirely different emotion settled in. He felt his own pants tighten a bit as his mind drank in the possibilities.
On impulse he leaned up and kissed Jonathan tendely. The clone's eyes opened with a slight flutter. It only took him a moment to process what was going on and soon he was kissing Kaidan back with equal passion. The data pad hit the floor with a thud but neither man made any move to retrieve it. Kaidan moved to sit up and straddle Jonathan. In a swift movement he pulled off his shirt and reached down to dispose of Jonathan's as well. The feeling of bare skin against skin sent jolts of pleasure through them, driving them to kiss and touch with more intensity.
After a few minutes of pure bliss, Jonathan pushed Kaidan back and stood up. Before Kaidan could protest he had his hands at the biotic's waist and set about working the buckle loose. Moments later Kaidan felt a shiver run through him as the cool air hit his arousal. Jonathan grinned at him slyly before running his tongue from the base of Kaidan's member to the sensitive tip. Kaidan groaned loudly at the wet warmth that closed in around him, throwing his head back. For a brief moment he thought that maybe this wasn't the right time for this but as soon as the idea crossed his mind it was out again, thanks to Jonathan's wicked lips. He decided then that he would fret about it later. For now he planned on getting lost in the ecstasy that was Jonathan Shepard.
"Joker, I am detecting unsually high levels of pheromones in two places on the ship."
The pilot looked over at the AI.
"Where's Shepard? And uh Shepard?" he asked.
EDI paused for a moment, obviously scanning the Normandy.
"My sensors indicate that both are present at the epicenters of each phenomena respectively." She said.
Joker thought a moment before smiling.
"Are there any other crew members with them?"
"Yes," the AI replied, "Sensors show that both Liara and Kaidan are involved."
Jokers smile widened and he chuckled to himself.
"Hey EDI, could you maybe bring up the surveillance footage?" he asked with a cheeky grin.
"Why?" the AI asked, looking confused.
"To get some pointers of course."
Ok so some of you might freak out about what has happened so far, but be patient and bare with me... Not everything is set in stone and things may turn out quite differently than you think.
Thanx for reading and thanx for all the reviews and faves. It really does motivate me to keep writing ;)
Till next time...