A/N Inspired by Evanescence "Bring me to Life", Salser's amazing story "Forever as One" and my own loss… Title inspired by Garbage's verse from "My Lover's Box."
Thanks to everyone who added, reviewed and fav'd. You make this worth continuing. More reviews = more chapters.
Tayg and T.A. Blackwell, well can't say enough good things about you girls.
The last chapter was ridiculous I know but really wanted a chance to space Traynor. Thanks for putting up with me… This chapter has plenty of fluff :D
Bioware owns all, I just make them cry.
Piece by Piece
"Show me."
Liara steadied herself taking the Commander's hands in hers. "Relax Shepard, find your inner-".
"Wait… " She sees the stunned look on the Asari's face and gently reassures her. "I just want to know a little more about me first. Just tell me in your own words, who I am." She runs her thumbs softly over Liara's knuckles and nods towards her.
"Well, you're an Alliance Commander, Captain of the Normandy, and the first Human Spectre."
A cocky smirks forms on Shepard's face. "I knew about everything except the Spectre bit. Please tell me I threw Udina out an airlock," She jokingly says.
"No, but you did shoot him dead."
"What? You're kidding me…" Upon seeing Liara's stiff composure: "Fuck you're serious huh? Well at least tell me shot him between his beady little eyes…"
Liara sighs. "No you shot him in the chest."
"Was it a one shot? Did he bleed out? This sounds like one of the best moments of my life and I can't remember shit…" Shepard sees the annoyed look on Liara's face. "Uhhh aside from meeting you, I'm sure… So how 'bout that meld?" Very fucking smooth. You insult her and invite her to play with your head.
"Relax, Shepard. Find-"
"One last question." She could almost see the steam from the Asari's ears. "Sam, Traynor, said we were together. Showed me a ring and said I gave it to her. I don't believe her, who is she?"
"A vulture who has been trying to get you into her bed since day 1." Liara shocked herself at how venomous that sounded. "I-I mean, she's infatuated with you, we have been at odds since boarding the Normandy."
Shepard paused as she observed the Asari. She's uncomfortable. When I mentioned Sam she clutched her wrist… there's more, I know and feel it. "Ok, show me us, show me our life."
A smile graced Liara's face. She took a deep breath and gripped the Commander's hands even tighter. "Find you inner peace, your place of solitude and embracy eternity!"
She'd been trapped for days. Her saving grace from the Geth and Krogan was a Prothean security device, which she may now die in. 'Of all the Goddess damned luck.'
Gunfire and shouting fill the chasm. 'Humans? What are they doing here?' She looks around and sees a trio of the newcomers step towards her. The leader takes off her helmet and stares. "Help me, please, I'm trapped!"
They return and she is free. The leader, Shepard helps her up as she smirks. "You ok?" Her stare is unnerving.
"Yes, I-I'm… I'll be fine." How can this human be so intimidating, and completely emotionally dismember her with a simple glance?
Shepard breaks the meld looking quite amused. "If the tables were turned I don't think I'd have shown you how I got stuck in a well, bubble." She grins and laughs.
"I see you find this as funny as you did then. Looking back now I realize every time you saw me for the following week you did a very poor job of containing your laughter…"
Shepard tilted her head back and laughed again. Her bond-mate was thrilled to see such joy for the first time in months from Shepard, even is she was "the butt of the joke" as human idioms would say. She couldn't help giggling herself as hind-sight did make it an amusing situation.
"What happened next?" Shepard seemed to be eager to take in the memories of their shared life.
"Well you started spending more time with me in the storage room. The crew was beginning to wonder if you were chronically ill as you were always in the med bay, as that storage room was behind it." Liara blushed and gave the Commander her best doe-eyed innocent stare.
"Jesus fuck… That look alone could keep me here for another month. Didn't the Doc say I had heart trauma?" She was completely undone. The joy of forgetting everything is that I get to fall in love all over again.
Liara rolled her eyes. "That's exactly the Shepard charm I fell in lo-… I mean that drew me to you in the first place." She glanced around nervously at anything but Shepard's eyes.
"I'd like to see more." Shepard stares into those ocean blues without blinking.
"Are you sure you aren't too tired? We can continue this ano-"
"I'm not tired and would like to see more." Shepard almost pleads. "You're beautiful. I can't blame myself for being attracted to you. You're the first person I saw when I woke up here. Not to sound like a complete cheese-ball, but I thought I was dead." She reaches up and cups the Asari's face.
"Dead, why?"
"Because of you… never mind… Can you show me more?"
"Of course." She takes Shepard's hand off her face and kisses her wrist, palm then knuckles. Her heart swells as she does so but knows she must let things run it's course.
"Embrace eternity!"
They have been locked out of the Normandy's systems. Shepard has ordered everyone off the crew deck. She wants to be left alone. The elevator dings and she hears someone step off. 'Who the fuck would dare defy me?' She prepares her most menacing face and glares up at the intruder. 'Fuck.'
Liara slides down the lockers and sits by Shepard, intertwining their fingers. "So I hear you've given up…"
Shocked and almost speechless Shepard answers: "No give up. I gonna… ugh… I mean… No, gonna fight this."
Liara chuckles at the sight of the usually very stoic Commander stammering her way through a simple sentence. That's when she knew Shepard meant what she said; there was something between them. She released the soldier's hand and stood up. She looked down at the scowling Commander and extended her hand… Much to her relief it was taken and she heaved upwards.
'Fucking shit, hold you're footing.' As she stumbled forward she caught her balance, then looked up. They were inches apart. Neither moved, both of their hearts were about to burst. She leaned in, wanting to capture those luscious purple lips. They made contact, the soft silky texture made her instantly crave more. She deepened the kiss as she pulled the scientist closer to her. Tongues met one another, finally…
"Incoming message from Captain Anderson."
Shepard abruptly ended their kiss and groaned. "Joker, you fucking spying on us?" Never had she wanted to space someone as much as she did now.
"No Commander, just passing along a message."
"Well I guess I can't expect anything other than rude interruptions from a guy named Joker." She flashed her ever charming, lop-sided grin.
Liara was starting to tire, and as enthusiastic as Shepard was judging from the red vessels in her eyes the Asari deemed it was time to stop.
"You should get some rest Shepard, as will I. The crew will likely be back in a few hours and will want to see you." She flashed a brief smile to her bond-mate.
"Stay with me."
Liara briefly hesitated and pulled a lounge chair from the other side of the room to Shepard's bed.
"No I mean here, with me." Shepard scooted over and tapped the empty spot behind her.
Goddess you never could refuse her anything. She stripped off her gown and was reduced to her underwear, much to Shepard's delight, then slowly crawled into bed. Do I dare? Yes. She kissed the back of Shepard's neck lightly and wrapped herself around her soldier.
5 minutes later they were both asleep, together, as it should be.
A/N: Reviews people, are what keep this story going. Not finished with Traynor. Don't like it, don't read it.