Chapter 27: Pizza can fix anything

-Citadel, Danger's Safe House

Jane settled into a sofa at the apartments that Danger kept on the Citadel. She had contacted Chief Williams to let her know that she would be staying ashore for at least the next night, and then had sought out her mercenary friend to see if she still had a safe house on the space station. In the line of work Danger was in, she needed to keep places like this in multiple locations. This one was rented under the alias Dolores O'Riordan, an Irish name that the mercenary used when she needed to get into upper class establishments.

Jane had found her friend, arm in arm with Tali in the technology district, looking at what seemed to be some sort of mechanical engines. She thought about what Liara had said, but after watching the two from a distance she decided that it wasn't the time or place to make a big scene. Jane would chat with Tali later on, in private. As for Danger, she didn't think that the mercenary was attempting to seduce the quarian. Her direction toward Tali was familiar, but it was a friendly kind of familiar. It certainly wasn't the terrified and nervous way she behaved when Terriana was around.

No, the mercenary was merely finding some small comfort in the girl's companionship, and Tali seemed to be enjoying herself as well. As long as Jane could get through to the quarian and make sure that she knew that friendship was probably as far as that relationship was ever going to go, everything would be fine.

We'll drop Darla off on Omega after the next games, and maybe Liara and I will stop by after we visit Virmire and check up on her.

That decided, Jane relaxed and took in her surroundings. She wasn't really surprised by the décor. It was a pretty standard safe house, with nothing that could positively identify her friend. There were some generic posters on the walls, and the furniture was made of basic materials, albeit quality ones. There were random datapads strewn all over the place, and Jane thought she saw at least one disassembled PDA and some sort of carved staff in a corner. Yes, it was just a typical safe house, but it was clean and dry and would serve well enough while she sorted out what exactly was going on.

Some things never change. This is exactly what her office was like back on Earth. She really doesn't keep much around her. I wonder if it's because she's never really felt she had a home. I guess I know how she feels though. I don't really have much in my quarters either. It's funny how you never stop to think about it until suddenly, your life isn't just about you anymore.

Jane Shepard had a lot to think about. Her visit to the Consort had left her with many more questions than answers. The revelations about Liara's lineage were disturbing, and she struggled with whether or not to tell the young woman what she had learned. There was a part of her that felt it was her responsibility, but another part argued that she still needed to get the entire story and learn how to control her thoughts before she could make any solid decisions. It was a heavy burden to bear, and for the first time in her life, Jane thought she might actually be in over her head.

All this time and Benezia had never mentioned any of it to Liara. She never once mentioned that she mated with one of the most celebrated artists in asari culture. Benezia never told the child that her second parent travelled the stars and dug for treasures of the past, just like Liara does now. She never mentioned that the poet had wanted Liara more than anything, and that she had vowed to love her mate for all the ages. She never thought to tell Liara that her 'father' wasn't ashamed of their union, or that she herself was in love with her partner for centuries. Did it never occur to her that these revelations would be important to her daughter? Did she not see the pain that Liara was in, thinking that she was unwanted because of her parents both being asari?

You know, for all the supposed taboo and discouragement of asari exclusive pairings, there sure do seem to be an awful lot of them… especially among the important and prominent ones.

Jane had originally thought that she saw a lot of Benezia in Liara's features, but now, she realized it was more Liari than anything else. Liari was softer somehow, less harsh and rigid. Her face wasn't so angular, no doubt because instead of training as a commando she merely exercised her wrist as she penned her journals.

Liara is soft like that as well. She has that same kindness in her face, and quiet loneliness that I saw in Liari's expressions. I wish there had been more visions from the writer's point of view. I wonder why there weren't? She seems like such a fascinating woman; I wish I knew more about her. Liara would have loved her, and I'm sure that they would have been inseparable. The poet probably would have taken her child on digs the second she was old enough to hold a hand shovel. I should ask Sha'ira about that. Maybe she can help me to find more visions about the mysterious writer.

Sha'ira. That was a situation all in itself, and one that could turn complicated at any moment. Jane hoped that in their next session, the asari would keep her distance.

Unlikely, though. It's possible she didn't even realize she was doing it. When I heard her voice in my mind, addressing me, it was so familiar and felt as though it belonged there, and I wasn't someone just watching an event unfold from the outside. She and I were a part of each other, witnessing the past if we were just, on a date at the movies. Still, what was it she said? She was… curious? I wonder what exactly she meant by that. What could she possibly be curious about? She was showing me visions, but was she searching through my memories at the same time? What was she looking for, if anything?

Jane tried to remember if she felt any hint of a violation, but it was all unclear. She couldn't tell if the asari had seen anything additional that Jane might not have consciously allowed.

Well, she is certainly a more powerful empath than Liara or Shiala. Perhaps she learned from Benezia. That seems plausible, anyway. If they were lovers, surely she would have picked up a few tricks.

Jane shook her head and tried not to let her mind wander there. It was difficult though. Sha'ira was an extraordinarily beautiful specimen of asari, and Benezia herself was extremely attractive. The thought that the two of them had been lovers, even for a brief time, was enough to awaken a slight warmth deep in the commander's belly.

It's amazing how they all swapped partners around, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. And the arranged marriages… well that's quite interesting too. They have so much time to experience each other and enjoy life. I wonder how many lovers the average asari will have in her lifetime. I wonder how many Liara will have in hers…

That wasn't a road she wanted her thoughts to travel down. Jane had never considered herself much of the jealous type, but the thought of Liara with someone else awakened something vicious in her. Luckily, just then the door opened and her mercenary friend walked in, apparently done with her shopping trip with Tali. The soldier could deal with her jealous thoughts later. Jane ran to the door to help Danger with what looked like a very heavy slab of metal.

"Danger, what the hell is this thing?"

"Ugh, just hold on it's not balancing on this stupid cart properly. Hold on."

The mercenary crouched down and put her back against the circular metal structure, and pushed with all her strength. She heard an audible click, and the device, whatever it was, slid back into place on the cart. Danger stood back up and started pushing it again.

"This thing is filthy, Danger. What the hell are you bringing it here for?" Jane started to wipe her hands on her trousers, and then thought better of it and wiped them on Danger's trousers instead.

"Hey!" Danger grinned. "Quit making passes at me! I'm so not your type."

"What the hell is this thing, Danger?"

"Oh this is perfect. It's just what I needed. I blew a transmission out on Thessia and had to leave my rover on a mountain. I can't believe I found this model in such great condition!"

"That, is great condition?" Jane asked, looking at the pile of grease and metal.

"You bet it is."

"Why did you bring it here?"

"Well, I thought about having it delivered to Thessia, but I don't want to send the wrong message to the matriarch. I don't want to… Interrupt anything… by sending packages to the compound you know. So, I figure I'll just hang onto it until Ned gets here with the Colloquia and then store it on there. You don't have to drop me off at Omega, Jane. We'll finish up the war game, and I'll have Ned take me to get my rover off that mountain, and the rest of my cars before I head out there."

"Speaking of which, aren't you supposed to be going rogue? You can't very well go rogue if you can't stay away from Tali and Garrus!"

"What can I say, we are kindred spirits! Hey, I don't know what to tell you. I like Tali, and Garrus is one hell of a guy. Don't worry, you are still getting kidnapped. It just might not be by me." Danger winked at her friend. "Or maybe, I'll kidnap Tali too. That would be interesting!"

"Don't go there, Danger. Just do me a favor, and don't go there."

Danger sighed. "Don't worry Jane, I know my boundaries. Tali is a sweet girl, but I don't think either of us are getting 'that' vibe. It's too bad, you know. I definitely have more in common with her than with the matriarch, but I guess these things don't work that way."

Jane thought about Liari and Benezia, about herself and Liara, and about Danger and Terriana. Truthfully, none of them had anything in common. All of them were just cruelly thrust together by seemingly random twists of fate. "No, I guess they don't, Danger. So why didn't you take this thing down to the garages?"

"Well, I didn't want anyone to steal it."

Jane just started at her friend blankly, slowly blinking her eyes.

"Jane, you have no idea how valuable one of these in this condition is! Here, help me put it in that corner."

Jane grabbed a shirt that was hanging over a counter, and used it to shield her hands from the grease bomb.

"There, that's perfect. How about I order out some pizza or something? It will be just like old times!"

"Sounds great, Danger."

"So, why are you staying here anyway? I would think you'd rather be hanging out with Liara." Danger took a seat across from her friend, and started punching things into her Omni-tool. "Sausage and peppers, right?"

Jane nodded. "Well, that's one of the reasons I asked you to come here. I went to see the Consort today."

"Yea, we know all about it. I wanted to bug her offices to see if you were going to score, but Tali wouldn't let me."

"You wanted to… Danger, trust me when I say that is one place you don't want to put a bug in. That woman is… unusual."

"So did you score?"

"What? No, Danger, I did not 'score'. I went there to try to sort out… Something that's been going on."

"I know what has been going on. Liara is titblocking you that's what's going on."

Jane shook her head. "What? Where did you pick up that kind of language?"

"Well, to be fair that's not the proper term, but it's a heck of a lot cleaner than what I could have said." Danger grinned idiotically.

"Danger, could you be serious for five minutes? Just five minutes, in your entire life?"

"Wow, yea sure Jane. What's been going on?"

"I went to Sha'ira because I've been having these visions. It's not the Prothean visions; these are visions about Liara's parents."

"What do you mean by 'visions'?"

"They are apparently some sort of genetic memories getting passed into me sometimes when I touch her. It's bad, Danger. It's really bad what happened back then. The visions started with Liara's parents' first night together, and ended with some terrible imagery of Matriarch Benezia beating herself up over apparently killing her mate."

"How mysterious and spidery of her. Wait, did you say you saw their first night together? Liara is a pureblood, right? That means her other parent is an asari too. Were they hot? Jane, you can't keep this to yourself. It would be a public disservice!"

"Danger!"

Danger leaned back on the couch she was seated on. "What? My five minutes of seriousness has to be up by now."

"I'm not going to tell you about it, so forget it."

"Fine, I have an imagination, I know what goes on." She waved a hand dismissively. "Ok, so you had these visions, they showed you hot sex and a great tragedy, and what does all of this have to do with the Consort? It had better be good, because I heard a rumor that Liara is pitching a fit over you going to see her."

"I went to see Shiala the other day to sort out the visions and try to figure out how to hide them from Liara in case we… Well just in case, and she suggested I go to see Sha'ira."

"What is with their names? Gosh. How can you keep them all straight?"

"Danger, please. Anyway I went to go see her, and apparently, it goes even deeper than I thought. Sha'ira was involved with it all, and she's been filling in the blanks for me. She and Benezia were lovers or something, apparently all of them played the field, and then there is this one mysterious asari that no one knows anything about, aside from a published set of letters, at the center of it all."

"Well, no one said relationships would be easy. This is what you get for letting all those asari crawl around in your head. I told you no good could come of going blue!"

"You said no such thing, and it's just Liara. I didn't get any genetic memories from Shiala, or Sha'ira, or Terriana, or any of the hundreds of asari that trampled me in bars trying to get to you. Just, Liara."

"Ok, so what does it all mean? And I resent the comment about hundreds of them in bars. It's thousands, at least." Danger lazily ran her fingers through her hair.

"That's what I am trying to find out. I have to go back to see her tomorrow. She told me to stay away from Liara until she can give me the whole story and train me on how to keep the memories hidden."

"Wait, so you don't want to tell her about it?"

"Not yet. I don't fully understand what happened, and Benezia kept it secret for a reason. I am not sure I want to be the bearer of such bad news, you know? Danger, you wouldn't believe the things I saw in this other asari's mind. She was so sweet, and kind and she loved Benezia her entire life. She wanted Liara more than anything, and she was just thrown away like garbage. How could Liara understand and forgive her mother for taking that from her? And Liara is so much like her too, her facial features, her love of digging up ruins in remote areas of space… It all fits and it's all so, just so sad."

Danger nodded. "Well, if you don't want her to know, then she won't hear it from me. I do think that you should at least call her tonight. I took Tali and Garrus back to the ship before picking up my transmission, and she was talking to Williams in the garage. She didn't look happy, and I'm guessing it's because you aren't coming back tonight. You know what she thinks that's all about…"

"Yea, but it's not. Obviously," Jane replied, gesturing to Danger's mess in the corner. "Listen, can you go and talk to her? I'm not sure that I even want to contact her over the com. She and I are linked somehow, and I feel her reaching out looking for me. I don't know how to block her out yet, so distance is the only thing that I can use."

"Yea, I'll go talk to her right after dinner. I'll set her straight."

"Thanks, Danger."

Danger got up and answered the door. Their pizza had arrived.

"I'm starved. Here Jane, there's your half." She turned the pizza box around, and she and Jane scooted up to it like they did when they were back on Earth, in the old days.

"I'll never understand how you can eat that without cheese. You know it's not like it used to be. There's no cruelty now." Jane looked at Danger's half, covered with every imaginable vegetable available, but no meat or cheese.

"I don't care. I don't want to eat it, and you can never convince me to. I don't put anything on my plate that had a face, or came from something that had a face. It's why I'm nearly six feet tall and you're still a shrimp." Danger grinned at her friend.

"You're nearly six feet tall because you are a freak of nature."

"That's entirely beside the point."

"Well, this shrimp can still kick your ass. How's that eye, by the way?"

"Incredibly sexy, I'll have you know. I think it adds to my image. It makes me even more dangerous. I'm thinking of making it a permanent addition to my look." Danger tilted her head to show off her bruise.

"That's a scary thought. It looks awful. You should have iced it."

"What, and have it heal? No thanks. I want to keep this for as long as possible. It's not every day you get smacked around by Commander Jane Shepard."

"You're hopeless."

"Yea well, physical pain sometimes helps to mask… other… sorts of pain you know.

Suddenly Jane understood. That's why Danger didn't ice the wound. The mercenary wasn't a cutter, but she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to use an event that was outside of her control to help her cope with the pain of her loss. Jane started to feel a little guilty again. Danger was so good at masking her real feelings that sometimes the commander completely forgot the reason her friend was even here.

"Are you ok?"

"Never better."

Liar. But as usual, she isn't going to open up to me. I wonder why that is…

"So that piece of shit is really going to fix your rover?"

"It sure is. That thing could probably power the CamMech. They stopped making them because of a flaw in the flywheel design, but I found a way around that a decade ago. It will take me a day to open it up and correct the problem, but I'll deal with that when I get back to Thessia."

Jane thought she saw something change in Danger's expression, but the mercenary covered it back up almost immediately.

"Danger, are you sure you are ok?"

"Jane, I'm fine. I'm going to go check on Liara. I'll see you tomorrow. And if you score with the Consort, I want pictures! Hell, see if she will give you some pictures even if you don't score. Some real naughty ones! I could use a lesson in asari physiology. Here, give me a couple slices of that. Your girl is probably starving herself in protest of your neglect."

Jane threw a crust at Danger as the laughing mercenary ran out the door.

-Normandy, Sickbay Storage area

Jane wasn't coming back to the ship.

Liara knew that Jane had gone to see the Consort, but she didn't think that it would be an all day and night event. Sometime during the evening, when she realized that Jane wasn't coming to her quarters, she left and went in search of the human.

It's not what you think. She was probably just tired and went straight to bed.

But the commander wasn't in the captain's cabin.

Maybe she is talking with Joker in the cockpit.

Jane wasn't there either.

She could be in the garages, looking at the Mako with Danger…

The commander was nowhere to be found. So, Liara approached Chief Williams, and did her best not to let her emotions show as the soldier informed her that Shepard had sent a message that she would be staying overnight at the Citadel.

So it is as I feared then.

She returned to her quarters, and stared at her console. Jane hadn't even thought to send her a message. She just passed the information on to one of her officers, and that was that. No consideration for Liara. Not even a quick note. Nothing at all. The seconds dragged on into minutes, and she didn't know how many hours had passed before she heard a knock at the door.

A knock? It couldn't be Jane, she never knocks.

"Enter."

It wasn't Jane, it was Danger.

"Hey Liara."

"Hello Danger." Liara stood to greet the human. "What are you doing here?"

Liara was suspicious, but curious nonetheless. The mercenary had never visited her in her quarters, so this had to be something important.

"Jane wanted me to check on you. She misses you and wants you to know she didn't have sex with the consort."

You have to admire Danger's direct approach.

"Did you see her?"

"Yea I just got done having some pizza with her. I brought you some. She's staying at my safe house, not in the consort's chambers. She also did not have sex with the consort, in case you missed that part."

Liara had to fight a smile. Danger looked ridiculous with her black eye and lopsided grin, but there was no questioning her sincerity. She genuinely cared about the asari and didn't want to see her in pain.

"Thank you, Danger."

"Oh no problem. Listen, I know that there has been some stuff going on and you are confused, but Jane is the best woman I have ever known. You aren't going to find a more solid rock to put your back against. Don't give up on her, Liara. She's going through a lot with all this Alliance crap, and the visions, and me and everything else. It's hard on her, but one thing I do know is that right now, you are the most important thing in that woman's life. Just, don't get yourself in a knot thinking something is going on that just isn't."

Liara sat back in her chair and studied the mercenary. She picked up on something in the woman's voice. Danger was putting on a really good show, but the asari knew that's all it was: a show.

"Danger, have you spoken to Terriana since you have been here?"

"What? Where did that come from? No, I haven't spoken to her. Why would I?"

"Why would you not?"

"You mean aside from the fact I don't want to hear that stupid commando's bedroom voice in the background dragging her back to whatever debauchery they have been indulging in?"

Liara just shook her head. "You do not know if that is what is going on."

"I know enough. Why else would she hire the woman other than to fill the voids that my services didn't? Although I would have been most accommodating, had she just asked. No, she wants that commando. I guess most matriarchs bond, or whatever your equivalent of marriage is, to their commando protectors, right? It was a silly notion to think that maybe she would choose me instead."

"You are in love with her." It wasn't a question.

"I can't say it, Liara."

The asari nodded. "When did she hire the commando?"

"I don't know. I guess it was after this one night outside her offices. She was in some meeting with some diplomat or another, and well. I guess I was a little nervous and jealous cause it was really getting late, so I stationed myself outside her offices. I was going to leave if I heard anything… like that… going on. But I didn't, or they were just really quiet, and then he left, and then she opened the door and nearly ran me down afterward. She asked me why I was there, and I tried to talk my way out of it… That didn't go well. That next day, I met my replacement."

Liara considered for a moment. "Danger, it might not have been the way you are interpreting it. If you would like, I can take a look at the memory and see if there is anything there you did not pick up."

The mercenary shook her head. "It's a generous offer, Liara, and I appreciate it, but I meant what I said the first time you reached out to me. Besides, I see what it's done to Jane, having all you asari poking around in her head. I'll take a pass on it. The whole thing with the matriarch was just a silly fantasy. There is no way that someone like her would ever want… someone like me. She deserves some famous and refined diplomat, with wealth and power and respect and land, or a powerful commando warrior trained in the arts of asari warfare and destined to perform great deeds. She doesn't want a greasy mechanic who spent half her life in gangs on the streets and the other half crawling through ventilation ducts. I'm just not good enough for her."

"Danger," Liara reached out for the mercenary, but the human waved her hand away.

"Don't feel sorry for me, Liara. I brought it upon myself. All these years, I have turned down everyone that ever approached me. It's my own fault for ignoring all those offers until I had the opportunity to get into this impossible situation. I knew it was a bad idea the second I boarded that transport, and I did it anyway. I have no one to blame but myself for this silly fantasy and what happened as a result of my poor judgment."

Danger's eyes took on a faraway look, and Liara wondered if there was anything at all she could say to help the mercenary.

"But anyway," she continued, shaking her head. "I think I know what would make us both feel a lot better."

"What?"

"We should go redecorate Jane's room. She deserves it, you know. We can rearrange everything, move all the furniture and then crash on her bed and throw all the blankets on the floor. That would be a hell of a lot of fun, and better than hanging out in this storage box, don't you think?"

Liara smiled. It actually did sound like a lot of fun, and it would help her feel a little bit closer to Jane.

"Yes Danger that is a good idea. Jane deserves some payback."

"She really didn't have sex with that consort, Liara. Just between you and me, I think she's in love with you. I've known Jane a lot of years, and not once has she ever acted quite like this."

"You think so?"

"I do. She gets this dreamy look whenever she talks about you, and she just wants you to be absolutely sure of what you want. She's going to wait for you, Liara."

Liara felt a stab of guilt at the mercenary's words.

Jane shouldn't have to wait for anything. I should be beyond this by now. I'm not exactly a child anymore. When she gets back here, I think I will have to have a very long talk with her… and maybe this time it won't end with me turning away.

"Thank you Danger." Liara stood and embraced the mercenary, and Danger leaned down to hold the asari.

"Anytime, Liara. Let's go destroy Jane's room!"

Liara and Danger headed for the captain's cabin, and Danger hacked the lock. They spent the next three hours moving everything that wasn't nailed down to ridiculous locations and putting pizza crumbs into every drawer. They upended Jane's storage trunk and tied all her casualwear in knots. After a while, they fell asleep on Jane's bed, the mercenary on her back with the asari stretched across the human's stomach.

It had been a fun night.