Liara glanced cautiously around the galley before licking her fingers clean of the honey surreptitiously. If Shepard caught her after the fuss she had made about table manners she would never live it down. Worse if Beni caught her; she was far past the age of "Do as I say, not as I do." At least, she thought so anyway.
The muted click of claws on steel was plenty of warning and she hurriedly stashed the honey before Beni rounded the corner, faithful varren trotting at her side. If Liara had known what a boon the creature would prove to be she never would have objected to its presence. The varren's movements always gave away Beni's presence, and certainly she and Shepard had cause to be grateful for that on a few occasions already. Now if only she could convince Beni that varrens with wet, dusty or sticky fur were not supposed to sleep on beds everything would be perfect. Unfortunately, Shepard was entirely too sympathetic to the beast's plight.
Beni stumbled into her, pressing her face into her mother's leg and allowing it to support her weight. "I'm hungry."
"Are you hungry or is Jax?" Shepard had laughed herself sick over that one. Privately Liara suspected Beni might not have been entirely responsible for the pup's name; it remained to be seen if Jack herself would see the humor in it. She grinned, perhaps after their other duties were taken care of Shepard would find the time to ask her personally.
"I'm hungry." Liara briefly debated chiding her for that sharp tone, but Shepard too was prone to grouchiness when her stomach was hollow. It must simply be one of the human traits Beni had acquired and in truth was one of the more harmless ones.
"What do you want?" She knew better than to ask but maybe this time-
"Candy!" No. Futile as ever.
"Besides candy."
Beni rolled her eyes dramatically and Liara shook her head in despair. Surely at this age she had been a little more cooperative?
"Sandwich, I guess." Liara turned quickly before Beni caught sight of her smile; her exasperation was painfully obvious, as was her attempt to cover up her frustration. It was refreshing, having at least one crew-member that couldn't dissemble with the champions. Like Shepard, for instance, who had bullied her out of bed and out of the cabin at a disgustingly early hour of the morning. It was obvious she intended to make use of the communications system, but out of courtesy Liara chose not to eavesdrop. This time. Maybe. If Shepard took much longer all her good intentions would be for nothing; curiosity was both her chief strength and weakness.
Beni pressed into the back of her legs, sighing dramatically. "Jax is hungry too. Can he have a sandwich?"
"Jax doesn't eat sandwiches."
"Does too."
"Why don't you share yours?"
"Don't want to." Well, that settled that. Where was Shepard? She usually had better luck convincing Beni to see sense; probably because the two were cut of the same cloth. Liara indulged in a quiet hope that their next might take more after her; quiet and studious… and meddlesome and secretive.
On second thought, it might be better still if she-
Beni snatched the plate from her hands and scuttled off with a shouted "Thank you!" before she could do more than blink in puzzlement. Impatient as ever, and not likely to learn the virtue of patience any time soon. Liara leaned back against the counter, rubbing her forehead gently as though to clear it of a headache.
"Feeling all right?" She whirled, noticing Shepard for the first time, peaking at her from just behind the protective barrier of the far wall.
"Fine. She's more like you every day. I don't know how I am going to keep up."
Shepard shrugged, "She'll grow out of it. I think. I hope. Kind of. At least she said thank you?"
Liara snorted, "Small mercies."
Shepard stepped in and jumped on the counter next to Liara, swinging her legs jauntily.
"Please, Shepard. Not where we prepare the food."
"Come on. Gardiner's a neat freak; he scrubs this place at least three times a day. Besides, I've done worse."
Liara rolled her eyes, "I take it you are finished with your secretive communications?"
Shepard nodded, practicing her Wide-Eyed Innocence look. "Yup. I'd say it was routine, but you know better."
"I do. What is our heading?"
"We're going to rendezvous with another ship. I'd like to see an old friend; more precisely, I'd like you to see an old friend."
That didn't sound ominous in the least.
"Do I know him?"
"You know her."
It was more than the work of a few minutes to make a complete list of all the females she and Shepard had known; in the end Liara supposed it wouldn't matter anyway since she would find out soon enough. Her first concern was that Shepard might have guessed her little secret; her second was that Shepard might play Mother Hen again. She had been teetering on the brink of the howling abyss of insanity by the time Beni had made her appearance. Shepard made krogans seem positively docile and free-spirited when she was worried, and no matter how many times Dr. Chakwas had assured her the pregnancy was progressing normally, Shepard had worried.
Liara did not much care for that taunting smile spreading across her bondmate's face either.
"It will be good to see an old friend again." It was really more of a question than a statement, but Shepard nodded helpfully.
"Do you know where Beni headed to? Any hints, a vague idea?"
"She likes to eat in the port observation deck."
"Thought you told her not to."
"I told her not to eat in the starboard observation deck."
Shepard smiled sympathetically, "Oversight on your part?"
"A small one, but it hardly matters now. Jax will gladly clean up any mess she makes."
"There is that. I think I'll join her for lunch; you want to come?"
"No, Shepard. I would prefer you explain it yourself; it might be a little too immediate otherwise."
Shepard appeared genuinely confused, so Liara elaborated slightly. "Dr. Michelle will confirm what you have already guessed; I think Beni will take the news better from you, and I will speak with her myself once you have done so."
Shepard smiled ruefully, "You're too clever by half, you know that?"
"So I have been told many times."
"It's true." She sobered, "But when were you planning on telling me you were pregnant?"
"Soon. I cannot hide it much longer, and I suspect you have known for some weeks now."
"A couple. I had my suspicions, but I thought you would tell me." She looked hurt, and Liara couldn't quite help the pang of guilt that shot through her.
"The last time I was so honest, you smothered me and encouraged the crew to join in on your antics. Dr. Chakwas was the only sane one left." That might have come out a little more frustrated than she had intended.
"Sorry. I'll be better this time, promise. I'm just… I'm just really excited." And absolutely terrified at the thought of not one but two crazy kids running around her ship wreaking havoc. Once Beni taught her little sister all her tricks they would never have a full night's sleep again.
Liara stepped between her knees, leaning into Shepard's warmth easily, relaxing as Shepard's arms folded around her; she was squeezing a little too tightly, but Liara held her tongue and drew comfort from it instead.
"We'll be fine, Shepard."
"We always are." She agreed. "By the way, it's not Dr. Michelle. Not only." She corrected, "And I do have a legitimate reason to pay a visit that does not involve your horribly kept secret."
"Horribly kept? It certainly took you long enough. And you know I loathe surprises; who else?"
Shepard shrugged, still managing to look infuriatingly smug. "I'm a little dense; my assumption that you would clue me in might have set me back. I think I'll plead the fifth on the other, it's been a while since you've had a surprise; how do you know you won't like it?"
Which, Liara knew, meant she definitely wouldn't.
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Shepard found Beni in the port observation as Liara had promised, curled up on the couch with Jax lying belly-up across her. She knew better than to let the varren on the furniture, but that talk could wait.
"Hey, Blue."
It was amazing the speed at which Jax cleared the couch and Beni sat up, looking wide awake and perfectly innocent despite having been caught. In the next moment, Jax was curled comfortably on the floor and Beni was leaning back into the couch nonchalantly.
"Hi." Shepard almost laughed at the nervous edge to her tone. Beni knew she was fooling precisely no one. She would keep her mouth shut until Shepard had confirmed that; it was something she had picked up from Liara.
"Varren belong on the…?"
"Floor." Beni wilted somewhat.
"Asari belong-"
"On the couch. But if he can sleep on the bed, why not the couch?"
"One of the many rules that doesn't make much sense aboard this ship. Privilege of being in charge- I can still enforce it."
There was a mutinous gleam in Beni's eye that demanded a better answer and promised trouble if she didn't get it; Shepard toyed with the idea of leaving it there, but Liara insisted that "because I said so" was no longer an acceptable answer.
"You're the only one sleeping in your bed; you want to wake up covered in fuzz, that's fine. Not all of us share your tolerance for it, and we all use that couch. Clear?"
Beni nodded, "Clear."
"Good. On to more important things."
Beni tensed again, and Shepard wondered what else she had been up to recently and if anyone had been helping her.
"Your mama and I have some news." She'd always been terrible about breaking news to people, good or bad; no use for it but to be blunt.
"We both want your little sister to think of us as mamas this time."
Beni's brows furrowed for a split second before her expression cleared again. "You're joking."
"Dead serious. Much as I love being your papa, I could do with being-"
"About a little sister." Beni cut in; there was hopefulness in her tone; that this was a joke or that it was real?
"Give it another six and a half months or so. Roughly. I think. Cross my heart and hope to die, it's perfectly real." She blanched a little at the thought, excitement notwithstanding.
Shepard winced and covered her ears at the piercing shriek that echoed through the room before Beni buried her face in Jax's back. She set him to barking with excitement and Shepard prayed she wouldn't bring the whole crew down on them.
Shepard felt the stiffness easing from her muscles when Beni beamed back at her, grinning from ear to ear. "What's her name?" Oh no, she was practically bouncing; Garrus would probably be the next to know, Joker after that, then Kelly…
"She doesn't have one yet-"
"Can I name her?"
"We'll take your thoughts into consideration." Shepard fell back on her favorite diplomatic phrase, but she could see Beni knew it for what it was. Too clever- came of being her mother's daughter.
Beni was already squirming off the couch and bolting for the door, Jax trotting faithfully at her side. "Where are you heading?"
"To tell Uncle Joker!"
In other words, their hours of peace were numbered.
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Originally this was supposed to be an entirely different chapter, but seeing as that one is coming along so slowly and since it has been ages since I updated I have reversed the order slightly.
Happy late Canada day!