Chapter Two:

"Corrie… please," Athena panted, trembling in her arms. The desperation in Athena's voice made Lycoris ache with want, but she ignored her own need, focusing on the woman she was touching intimately for the first time. She had wanted this, wanted Athena, for so long, but she was determined to push her own desires aside and make it last as long as possible. Still, there was nothing she could do to stop her legs from shaking. She quickly maneuvered Athena toward the bed, afraid she might embarrass herself by collapsing onto the floor.

She wasn't sure how it happened, but the next thing she knew, she was on her back while Athena straddled her hips. Somewhere along the way, Athena had lost her pants, and there was nothing in the way as Lycoris's fingers slid through the silky wetness between her lover's legs. She might have put up some protest at being trapped beneath Athena's weight, but the sight before her was too perfect to complain about. Athena was sinking down onto her fingers, and it was the sexiest thing she had ever seen.

Athena rocked back and forth over her hand, taking her fingers deep into clinging warmth before pulling back and thrusting down once again. She could watch everything from her reclined position: the way Athena's stomach muscles flexed, the way her perfect breasts bounced so very temptingly out of the reach, and the growing wetness that dripped down her wrist and onto her abdomen the closer Athena got to climax.

And then, it happened. Athena's slick muscles pulled even tighter, and the meld eclipsed her eyes, shooting them through with liquid-black light. Lycoris reached out, groping through the emptiness for the connection she so desperately craved. Even though Athena had barely touched her, she was on the razor's edge, so close that the only thing she needed was another mind to link with...

But there was nothing there.

Lycoris shot up, flinging the covers away from her chest. Her head throbbed with unreleased pressure, and the swollen, strained bud of her clit seemed to have its own heartbeat. She groaned, twisting the sheets in her sweaty hands as she realized that none of it had been real. She had been dreaming again. The same awful, wonderful dream that tortured her most nights. Their activities varied, but Athena's presence was always a constant.

She let out a muffled whimper and flopped onto her side, cupping a hand between her legs. It only made the ache worse, and she curled her knees up to her chest, shutting her eyes tight and praying that the feelings wouldn't last long. Wetness seeped through her fingers, and she realized with some embarrassment that there was already a sizable spot on the sheets beneath her.

"Fuck," she hissed. She desperately wanted to rub her fingers over her clit to ease some of the discomfort, but she knew from painful experience that it would only make the problem grow. Without the meld, she was helpless. And the dream had felt so real…

Lycoris tried desperately to think of something else, anything else, that wasn't related to Athena. Unfortunately, her usual tricks didn't help. When she was finally desperate enough, she let her thoughts venture to why her parents even had the dungeon. If anything could to kill her libido cold, it was thinking about her parents using the same x-frame she and Athena had played with. But even that didn't work. She kept forgetting her true purpose, remembering exactly how Athena had looked spread out so decadently before her...

She turned her head and groaned into her pillow. She needed to find a solution fast. After a few more minutes of thrashing beneath the covers and frustrated whimpering, she finally removed her sticky hand from between her legs and slumped toward the washroom, hoping a shower would fix her problem. Unfortunately, it wasn't as much help as she hoped. The full, shuddering pressure inside her wouldn't calm under the cold spray, and her fingers kept wandering back between her thighs even though she knew they wouldn't bring her the relief she needed.

At last, she gave up and began scrubbing herself raw. The pain helped a little, but her jaw remained clenched, and her stomach muscles refused to relax. Images of Athena kept flashing in her head: tied to the x-frame, kissing her, writhing beneath her... She groaned and shut off the water, not even bothering to dry off before she stomped back into the bedroom. Once she had pulled on the bare minimum of clothes just in case her parents were up, she headed for the kitchen, still trying desperately to ignore the ache in the pit of her stomach.

As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, she headed for the cabinet above the sink, throwing it open and searching for a dose of medi-gel. Her head kept buzzing, reaching out for a meld she wouldn't get, and she could already feel the edges of a headache creeping in around her eyes. When she pulled the tube out of the cabinet, her hand brushed against a small bottle of pills. They were hormone suppressants to prevent pregnancy, and her parents had left them for her years ago "just in case". Out of idle curiosity, she checked the back to see if they were still any good.

"Lycoris?"

The sound of her name made her jump, and she hastily shoved the pills back onto the shelf, grabbing the tube of medi-gel instead. She whirled around just in time to see her mother enter the kitchen. She was already dressed, complete with omni-tool. "Oh. Hey, mom..."

"Are you all right, Corrie?"

Lycoris forced a smile and held up the tube of medi-gel. "Just a headache. I'm fine."

Tevos gave her a suspicious look. "Another one? You've been having a lot of headaches lately."

Although she was usually a good liar, Lycoris knew she wouldn't be able to fool her mother. She averted her eyes and busied herself with the tube, painting a stripe across her forehead to numb the pain. She sighed with relief as the gel sank into her skin, and the uncomfortable throbbing between her legs finally started to fade along with the headache. "It's nothing," she mumbled, and her lips twitched into a smirk as she noticed the faint line of bruising along Tevos's collarbone. "Want some? You missed a spot."

"Again? Give it here." She sighed and took the tube of medigel, squeezing a generous dollop onto her fingertips. "Oh well. At least Lazirus won't have any smug comments for me. I swear, he's just as annoying as his Uncle Sparatus used to be."

Lycoris pulled a face. She was aware that some people were a little fixated on her parents' sex life, although she couldn't for the life of her understand why. She preferred to remain in a state of denial and think about it as little as possible, and she had grown used to ignoring and dismissing the obvious signs. She had also learned to be careful with her extranet searches after one very bad experience. "At least someone's getting laid around here," she muttered under her breath as she made her way over to the pantry.

"What was that?"

"Nothing... Hey, you and Dad don't need me for anything later, right? I want to hang out with Athena." The words were a bit of a surprise even to her, but once she said them, she knew that visiting Athena was the right thing to do. No matter what happened or what she was hoping for, she needed to make sure their friendship was still on good terms after yesterday.

"That sounds like an excellent idea. In fact, why don't you stay the night? Aria and I might have her parents over for drinks, so you'd have the place to yourselves."

For a moment, Lycoris wondered if her mother suspected more than she was letting on, but she decided not to push the subject. It wasn't a conversation she wanted to have. "Benezia and Diana will still be there," she pointed out. "I wouldn't call that having the place to ourselves."

Tevos laughed. "Diana won't bother you. She's good at respecting boundaries. As for Benezia, might I suggest bribery? Give her a few credits for dinner and a vid, and she'll probably leave you alone."

"Ugh. I hate the thought of giving her anything, but honestly, I would pay to keep her away from me today. I'm not in the mood to deal with her."

"Eat something before you go," Tevos said, "and stay quiet until you leave the house. Your father's still sleeping."

Lycoris's forehead lifted in surprise, but she didn't ask any questions. She didn't want to know. Instead, she thought about what she could possibly say to Athena once she went over to visit. Things were definitely going to be awkward, but maybe if she played her cards right... "Hey, Mom, how did you and Dad get together? You've never really told me."

Her mother smiled and squeezed the side of her arm. "That isn't true. I've told you several times, and you just couldn't be bothered to listen. But if you really want to know, we started seeing each other during the war."

"No. I mean, how did you first get together? How did she ask you out?"

Lycoris almost expected another suspicious look, but instead, her mother blushed. "I'd rather not discuss it. Let's just say your father can be very persuasive."

"All right, that's already way more than I needed to know. I shouldn't have asked." She reached for the tube of medigel that Tevos had left on the counter and took it back to the cabinet, slipping the small bottle of pills into her hand after only a moment's hesitation. She kept it hidden as she crossed the kitchen and headed back toward the hall. "See you later, Mom. Have a good day at work."

Once she was certain her mother wasn't going to follow her, she let out a sigh of relief and hurried back into her bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind her. She stared down at the bottle in her hand, chewing nervously at her lower lip. The throbbing started up again, and she had to swallow down the lump growing in her throat. "Well, let's hope some of Dad's charm is genetic," she mumbled to herself. "I'm gonna need all the help I can get."

After procrastinating for as long as she could, Lycoris got ready to see Athena. She took extra care with her appearance, pulling on a pair of black leather pants that hugged her legs and ass like a second skin. She almost thought twice about wearing them when she became aroused again at the slight contact between her legs, but decided that any discomfort was worth it if she could capture Athena's attention.

The fly over to Athena's place seemed to take longer than usual. She spent most of the time drumming her fingers against the steering wheel, staring a little too intensely at the threads of traffic in front of her as they wove together. Driving on the Presidium was never fun, but it seemed more stressful than usual as her thoughts wandered to what she was going to say to Athena when she arrived. "Do I just ask her?" she said aloud to the empty skycar. "It's that simple, right?"

But it wasn't that simple. Athena had seemed receptive the night before, but that didn't mean anything now. Maybe she thought it was all a big mistake, or maybe she wasn't interested in taking things further. The thought made Lycoris's stomach started to sink. Despite the bragging she did, and the reputation she was occasionally given thanks to her resemblance to her father, she hardly had any practical experience with dating.

She sighed as she pulled into the parking structure beside Athena's apartment. The T'Soni-Shepard household was on the top floor, inaccessible other than through a single locked door. Shepard took the apartment's security very seriously, and it was just as well-guarded as their estate on Thessia. Fortunately, she had an 'in'. The door unlocked before she could even press the buzzer, and she assumed it was because Athena was already watching the video feeds, waiting for her to show up. She couldn't help feeling a little hopeful as she made her way through the door and up the short flight of stairs. If Athena was already waiting for her, that meant her friend was eager to see her. At least, she hoped that was what it meant...

When she finally reached the apartment itself, the door was already open and Athena was waiting for her. The sight of her smile made Lycoris's chest flutter. She swallowed down the nervous lump in her throat and smiled back. "Hey."

"Hello, Corrie." Athena remained standing in the doorway, hands clasped behind her back, looking almost as uncertain as she felt. Lycoris decided to take it as a good sign. If Athena was nervous, that probably meant she cared at least a little. Before she could gather the courage to speak, Athena abruptly turned around and started walking toward her room. Lycoris stared in surprise for a few seconds before hurrying after her.

By the time she caught up, Athena was already sitting on the bed with her back propped up against the headboard. She seemed a little more rigid than usual, and Lycoris knew without a doubt that Athena was thinking about what had transpired between them yesterday. And as much as she was scared to breach the subject, she knew they at least had to discuss it before it could cause any damage to their friendship.

Lycoris stepped inside and leaned against the desk parallel to Athena's bed. Her usual spot was actually sitting right next to Athena, but she figured that they both needed a little bit of distance, and she didn't trust herself not to go up in flames if she had to sit so close. She took a moment to compose herself, looking down at her crossed arms and trying not to count the seconds as the silence stretched on. Still not entirely certain what she was going to say, Lycoris looked up to find Athena staring at her. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but before she could, Athena spoke. "Close the door."

With a nervous gulp, Lycoris abandoned her casual pose on the desk and hurried to shut the door. After a quick peek down the hall to make sure Benezia and Diana were nowhere nearby, she closed it and turned to face her fate. She tried not to look as nervous as she felt, giving Athena what she hoped was her most charming smile. If she behaved as though this was the end of the world, it probably would be. "So, yesterday was... interesting. I thought it was fun until my parents crashed the party, anyway."

Instead of looking nervous, Athena seemed almost smug as she reclined on the bed. The stiffness had left her body at the first mention of the dungeon, and her smile made Lycoris's heart flutter in her chest. "Interesting?" she repeated, narrowing her eyes. "Is that really the word you'd use?"

Lycoris threaded her fingers together behind her back, rocking slightly from foot to foot. Even when she became aware of it, she couldn't stop the nervous tic. All her plans to be smooth flew out the window. "What adjective are you looking for?"

Athena laughed. "Oh, I don't know. Exhilarating, dangerous, intense..." She pushed herself forward, and Lycoris noticed that her brilliant green eyes were even brighter than usual, with just a trace of cloudy darkness in them. "I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds for saying so."

"No!" Lycoris stammered. "Uh, I mean, no. No, you aren't overstepping anything." She didn't know whether to be thrilled that Athena seemed to know what to say, or slightly sad that her own thunder had been stolen. This was her opportunity to be the suave seductress, and she was completely blowing it. But as long as she ended up experiencing what she had dreamed of in the end, she supposed it didn't matter. "So... it's something you'd maybe want to do again?"

"Under the right circumstances."

"What sort of circumstances?" A myriad of possible demands ran through Lycoris's head, but she was too anxious to really focus on any of them as she waited impatiently for Athena to continue.

"Well, to start, I don't want you fooling around with anyone else if you're fooling around with me. You'll have to cut off your other girls." Lycoris blushed at that demand. She could barely keep from blurting out that there were no other girls - and there had never been any other girls. She could talk a big game, and did whenever she could, but she wasn't nearly as experienced as she led people to believe.

"I can do that," Lycoris said when she realized that Athena was waiting for her to answer. "Anything else?"

"You won't treat me like them, Corrie," Athena said, a serious expression eclipsing the more playful one she'd so recently worn. "We're friends first. And that's how it's always going to be."

"So, you want to try a friends with benefits arrangement? Nothing too serious. Just some innocent exploration. And if things start getting too weird for either of us, we go back to being friends." There was a lot more question in her words than confidence, but Lycoris didn't care. She didn't want to scare Athena away when she was so close to getting everything she had always wanted.

Athena stepped forward and took her hands. The contact made Lycoris's heart pound faster, and her mouth went dry. She swallowed nervously, but fortunately, Athena wasn't looking at her. She was staring at their laced fingers instead. "Our friendship means a great deal to me. I don't want anything to destroy it."

"I won't. We won't." Athena's eyes finally lifted, and she gasped. There were dark swirls within the vivid green of her irises, and the headache she had finally managed to forget came roaring back. With Athena holding her hands, it was more pressure than pain. "You have beautiful eyes," she blurted out, wincing when the words tumbled together. "I mean..."

Athena smiled up at her and shook her head. Instead of answering, she leaned forward, tilting her chin up and parting her lips. Lycoris's breath hitched. Athena was obviously waiting to be kissed, and she had no clue what to do. She had kissed a few girls back in secondary school, but that was years ago, and they had been clumsy, innocent affairs, always with the risk of getting caught. At this age, Athena probably expected her to know what she was doing... and she would eventually expect a lot more than a kiss.

There was nothing else for it. She wanted to kiss Athena desperately, no matter how terrified she was. She closed her eyes and dipped her head, praying she wouldn't make a fool of herself.

Unfortunately, she couldn't aim with her eyes shut. Instead of finding Athena's lips, their noses bumped together. Both of them pulled back in surprise, and heat rushed to Lycoris's face. Her stomach churned as she considered what Athena must be thinking of her first failed attempt, but she didn't get a chance to dwell on those disappointing thoughts. Athena reached up with an indulgent smile on her lips and framed her face. Lycoris didn't resist when Athena tilted her head slightly to the side and dragged her down with a guiding hand on the back of her neck.

This time, their lips met seamlessly, and Lycoris fell helplessly into the kiss. It was tentative at first as they explored each other, and Lycoris had to admit that she followed Athena's lead for a while. She wasn't thinking about much at all except how amazingly soft and sweet Athena's lips were, and how she shouldn't have waited this long to finally taste them.

Soon, the slow pace wasn't enough. She felt ravenous with hunger, and Athena was the only thing that would satisfy her. Instead of continuing to be a passive participant, she finally took control. She brought her own hands up to hold Athena's head steady and kissed her even harder. When Athena gasped at her new forcefulness, Lycoris took the opportunity to slip her tongue into her mouth.

She must have gotten a little overzealous, because the next thing she knew, Athena was pushing at her shoulders. Lycoris immediately pulled back, afraid that she'd hurt Athena in her mindlessness, but kept her hands resting on Athena's hips, unwilling to completely sever their connection. "Slow down there," Athena said breathlessly, placing a hand on her chest. "We have time."

Lycoris swallowed. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth, and her lips still tingled. Her headache was back again, but instead of causing her pain, the pressure actually seemed pleasant. She gave Athena a shaky smile, trying to show confidence she did not feel. Her eyes darted nervously toward the bed. There were so many things she wanted to experience, things she wanted to learn about with Athena, but part of her was still terrified that she would make a mistake. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely." Athena laced their fingers together, leading her toward the bed. "My parents said they would be gone for the whole evening. We have the place to ourselves."

Lycoris almost mentioned Benezia and Diana, but decided against it. She didn't want to ruin her chances. "Okay." She leaned in for another kiss, and this time, she didn't miss. Warmth rushed through her entire body when their lips met, and her legs turned to jelly beneath her. She sank backwards onto the mattress, trying to make it look deliberate by clutching Athena's hips at the last moment and pulling her down too.

Suddenly, Athena was on top of her. Actually on top of her. For real this time, and not just in one of her fantasies. She stared at Athena's lips, which were still only a breath away from hers, and then at her eyes. The need there surprised her, and some of her doubts vanished. No matter how awkward she felt, it was good to know Athena wanted her. The desire she saw there made her confidence swell. She gathered her courage, running her hands down along Athena's sides to cradle her hips.

It felt good to finally touch Athena the way she'd been dreaming about for so long. She liked how Athena looked straddling her in her dreams, but she loved how Athena looked straddling her in real life. In fact, Lycoris could see this becoming one of her favorite positions. But as much as she enjoyed the visual, something in her needed to know what it felt like to be on top. She held tight to Athena's hips and tried to roll both of them over, but it didn't go quite as smoothly as she hoped. Athena let out a little yelp that could only have been pain, and they ended up in a tangled mess of limbs before getting sorted out by lying on their sides facing each other.

Lycoris blushed at her clumsiness, hoping she hadn't completely killed the mood. She couldn't even look Athena in the eyes until she felt soft hands on her face, and when she finally worked up the courage to lift her gaze, she saw that same sweet, indulgent smile that instantly put her at ease. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't mean to squish you." Athena obviously forgave her, because the next moment, she was leaning forward to bring their lips together once again. Lycoris couldn't have protested even if she wanted to. Athena had some sort of mysterious hold over her. And if Lycoris had her way, that strong connection would last forever...

A loud thumping sound came from the hallway, followed by a familiar voice. "Hey, The, I just need to..." Lycoris barely had time to whirl her head around before the door slammed open. Benezia stood in the doorway, staring at them with wide eyes as her jaw hung loose in surprise. Eventually, her look of shock transformed to one of startled glee. "Holy shit! Really?"

Athena stiffened beneath her, and Lycoris suddenly realized what a compromising position they were in. Her thigh had somehow wedged itself between Athena's legs, and they were still tangled together on the bed. She gave Benezia a sheepish look and tried to pull away, but Athena was faster. Lycoris found herself tumbling over the side of the bed as Athena shoved her off and leapt to her feet. Crackling blue energy crawled over her skin, and the blackness of her eyes flared white. "Out!"

Benezia took a step back, and a flicker of fear crossed her face. She summoned her own biotics, preparing to form a shield. "Hey, calm down. I didn't do anything."

Athena was not appeased. The light around her clenched fists flared. "You bursted in on us!"

"At least I wasn't the one making out with Lycoris."

Lycoris shook herself out of her stupor and got to her feet. Since Athena seemed to have the rage covered, she took a calmer tactic, shifting her weight to one hip and folding her arms across her chest in a casual pose. While Athena had the ability to terrify her and make her stumble over herself, she knew how to handle herself around Benezia. "And what's so bad about making out with me? You're not jealous, are you?"

A look of disgust crossed Benezia's face. "Yeah, right." Lycoris was barely able to stifle her amused smile at Benezia's flippant defiance and false bravado. It was no secret that Benezia had a harmless little crush on her that was more awed curiosity than anything else. That was one of the reasons Lycoris and Athena were barely ever alone in the T'Soni/Shepard household, because Benezia always found some excuse to come around. "I'm not that desperate," Benezia mumbled, looking pleased with herself for finding a suitable comeback. "I was just stopping by to remind Athena that the last cookie Uncle Garrus sent us is mine."

As excuses for barging in on them went, this was certainly one of Benezia's most ridiculous. It was almost amusing, but then, she had always been entertained by the youngest T'Soni sister's infatuation with her. When she looked over at Athena, however, Lycoris could see that Benezia's answer was only making her angrier. Her biotics crackled dangerously around her fists, the energy crawling nearly halfway up her forearms. Lycoris knew she needed to defuse the situation fast, before Athena put Benezia in Huerta Memorial for the indefinite future.

"Well, you told her," Lycoris said, stepping forward and crowding Benezia's space until the she backpedaled out of Athena's room. "Now, go away." She didn't wait to hear whatever retort Benezia eventually came up with as she punched the pressure pad beside the door and closed it with a whoosh. She wished there were some kind of locking mechanism that would ensure their continued privacy, but Lycoris was pretty sure that Benezia was smart enough not to press her oldest sister anymore for the rest of the night.

Lycoris turned back to Athena was an awkward grin on her face. "Well, that certainly could have gone better."

Athena's biotics fizzled out. Her shoulders slumped, making her look disappointed instead of angry. "I'm sorry about her, Corrie."

"Now you know why I prefer my place. No annoying sisters to get in the way."

"I guess the mood is pretty much ruined," Athena sighed.

Lycoris crossed the short distance between them and took Athena into her arms. She tilted Athena's head back and lowered her own to capture her lips in a slow kiss that was all about comfort instead of their newfound passion for each other. "It's okay. How about we go to my apartment after lessons tomorrow? I'm sure my parents will be out, so there won't be anyone to disturb us."

Athena stared up at her with glossy black eyes, and Lycoris knew what her answer would be before she spoke. "That would be nice."

"Just nice?" Lycoris teased. "I think I can go beyond nice." At least, she hoped she could. Even though she had no practical experience to speak of, she was determined to make up for her lack of knowledge with enthusiasm. And since Athena wasn't exactly an expert herself, she would probably be able to get away with it. "This is all new for you, isn't it?" she asked, trying and failing to sound casual. "You know..."

Her voice trailed off, but Athena filled in the gap. "The mating meld? Yes." Her eyes darted to one side, and for a moment, she almost looked guilty. "But I've done plenty of, um, research."

Lycoris's jaw dropped. "What kind of research?"

A soft purple blush burned at the points of Athena's freckled cheeks. She let out a nervous laugh, removing her hands from Lycoris's arms and twisting them in front of her. "Surely you've heard of the extranet. It's a vast galactic network that anyone can use to look up information. You should give it a try someday. You might actually learn something."

Although Athena's tone held a clear edge of sarcasm, Lycoris could tell that it was mostly for show. It was comforting to know that she wasn't the only one feeling a little nervous. She let her palm trail down Athena's side, cupping one of her hips to keep her from stepping away. "Hey, I won't judge you. Everyone our age has stumbled across porn at least once or twice, right?"

Athena narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Just once or twice?"

"Fine. More than that. But it doesn't matter. I know what I'm doing." She reached into her pocket, pulling out the small jar of pills. "I've even got protection," she said, tossing it and catching it in her free hand.

"Give me that." Athena yanked the bottle out of midair with her biotics, pulling it toward her with a small singularity field. "Where did you get these?"

"My parents."

Athena looked at her with a curious expression and Lycoris realized just how uncool she must have just sounded. "I mean, they bought them for me. I'm not stealing theirs or anything..."

Thankfully, Athena let her get away with it. "I'm glad they did. It will make things a lot less complicated."

"Yeah. Lucky me..." She averted her eyes. Even though Athena was always kind and accepting, Lycoris didn't particularly feel like discussing her pureblood status. It was a well-known fact that purebloods needed to be extra cautious while melding to avoid accidents. She held out her hand, waited for Athena to give her back the pills, and slipped them into her pocket. "I should probably go home. I don't know if I can control myself around you right now, and I really don't want to get barged in on again. I'll see you tomorrow after lessons." Athena walked her to the door, and they shared one last kiss before Lycoris headed back to her hovercar.

She was so wrapped up in thoughts of Athena that she didn't remember her parents were hosting company until she was almost home. By then, it was too late to turn back around. She loved Athena's parents, but she didn't particularly want to talk to them, especially after what she had been doing with their daughter. With a sigh, she slipped into the apartment and headed for her room, hoping she wouldn't disturb anyone on the way.

Unfortunately, she didn't manage to get very far. Her parents were curled up on the living room couch with Shepard and Liara, watching an old holo with half-empty glasses of wine in hand. All four of them turned to look at her as she slipped through the door. They wore identical startled expressions, and even though Shepard and Liara were frequent guests at her house, Lycoris couldn't help feeling like she had intruded on something.

"Hey," she said, giving them a sheepish wave. "Sorry I'm home early. Benezia was being a pain." She suddenly remembered that Shepard and Liara were listening to every word she said, and she coughed in embarrassment. "Uh, I mean..."

"It's all right, Lycoris," Liara said, lifting her head from Shepard's shoulder and offering her a smile. "Benezia is my daughter. I know exactly how she can be."

Aria snorted. "Yeah. That one takes after you."

"Save it, you two," Tevos chided, shooting both of them a warning glance. "Lycoris, why don't you go to your room for a while? I don't think you'll like this vid."

Lycoris glanced over at the holo, and her stomach flipped when she saw two asari kissing. The cheesy romantic music and the sweeping camera shots gave it away immediately. "Ew, Vaenia? No way am I watching that with my parents. I'm out of here."

Tevos laughed. "That's what I thought. If you hurry, you might be able to escape before the sex scene starts."

Lycoris pulled a disgusted face and hurried down the hall to her room, trying to ignore the sounds of the vid floating behind her. Just before she closed her door, she heard Shepard make one last comment. "You must be proud, Aria. It only took your kid two seconds to recognize the most famous romance-slash-porn movie of the past century."

Once she was safe inside her room, Lycoris flopped on the bed, folding her arms behind her head and staring up at the ceiling. Even though she had left Athena half an hour ago, her lips were still tingling from their kiss. Their kiss... the actresses from Vaenia swam in front of her eyes again, but this time, she and Athena were the ones wrapped in a passionate embrace.

"I can't believe she said yes," she whispered to herself. "We're really going to do this." Another thought struck her, and she bolted upright again, biting down nervously on her lip. "Shit. We're really going to do this. She's going to be inside my head." Inside of her head, where all her fears and insecurities were, wrapped up in a messy, confusing tangle of feelings. "Oh Goddess, I'm going to blow it."

But...

She thought back to the way Athena had guided their kisses. The confidence and certainty she had shown. The eagerness in her dark eyes. If Athena could handle herself without any experience, so could she. Lycoris took a deep breath and fell back against the pillows, crossing her legs as a grin stretched across her face. Tomorrow was going to be amazing.