A/N: GAH! THE CUTENESS! *DIES*
Cuteness Gremlins: *MAD CACKLES*
Chapter 37
Liara and Falere strolled among the flower garden, each holding a baby in a carrier strapped on their chests. Shepard had gone to the nearest spaceport to pick up Wrex, Grunt, and Urdnot Bakara, leaving the two of them to fuss over the blossoming garden. Liara decided to take a leaf out of her mother's book and plant some more Thessian Sakura trees around the edge of the garden, and she was now fussing over the little saplings. The little bundle of Naiala was currently looking around with wide eyes, taking in all the colors and scents of the flowers growing around her. She occasionally swatted her hand at some imagined movement, then let out a happy sound when she successfully swatted said imagined thing. Every time she did, Liara grinned and dipped her head down and kissed her little crest. She paused when she heard Falere talking softly to a dozing Elaria.
"Who's the sweetest little girl in the whole galaxy?" Falere crooned, wiggling her two index fingers which were currently trapped in Elaria's little fists. "So sweet, in fact, that you'd let Aunt Falere have her fingers back? No? Are you sure we can't negotiate the terms?"
She sighed in mock-despair and Liara couldn't stop a giggle from bubbling up in her throat. Falere glanced over and a shy blush filled her face. She lifted her fingers with a defeated shrug. "I think I'm stuck."
"Indeed. Here, sometimes if you tickle her feet, she'll wave her arms," Liara said, moving over to free her friend from captivity.
When Naiala and Elaria saw each other they began making excited baby noises and flailing their arms at each other, successfully freeing Falere's fingers from captivity. Liara and Falere burst into a fit of giggles at the sight of the twins, arms and feet dangling from their carriers, extending their little hands in attempt to reach each other. The sight made Liara's heart ache with happiness. Not just from her twins, but from seeing the bright smile on Falere's face.
"How are things at the research facility?" Liara asked, moving a little closer to her friend so her twins could touch hands.
"We already have twenty new volunteer lab assistants, all of whom have taken on asari partners. It's amazing how much war can change people's perspective on things. I never thought I would live to see the day our people would be openly supporting and trying to cure an Ardat-Yakshi."
Liara smiled a little regretfully. "At least a few good things have come of this war. With my father as a Matriarch again, I have a feeling a lot of good changes for us asari are in store. I think the term 'pureblood' is a thing of the past, thank the goddess. And I think we will stop being so wary of taking on asari partners. Were it not for Shepard, I very probably would not have ventured outside our kind."
"Liara?" Falere asked, her voice hesitant.
The other asari looked up from her twins to look at the Ardat-Yakshi. "Yes, Falere?"
"How did you do it? How did you survive the war and somehow end up here? And how did I get lucky enough to have a friend like you? A friend who would let a feared and hated Ardat-Yakshi hold her daughter? A friend who sees me as a person and not as a creature?"
Liara reached out and affectionately brushed the other's cheek with her fingertips. "Sometimes I don't know how I survived the war, but I can tell you why I don't fear you and why I trust you with my daughter. Because you're a good person, Falere. 'Ardat-Yakshi' is a term of fear - one which was wrongfully given to you. I have faced Reapers and survived. I know fear. I look at you and know no fear. You're honest to the core, kind, beautiful inside and out, and sweetly innocent."
Falere looked down with a sad smile. "Rila used to say that all the time. She'd tease me for not understanding 'innuendo' when other girls would make colorful jokes. I once unknowingly painted a still-life of some fruit that vaguely resembled a certain area of the feminine form and . . . well fortunately she saw it before the rest of the monastery and stopped me from showing it. The Matrons probably would have sent me to isolation for a week." She giggled shyly. "She always looked out for me like that, though. My sweet Rila."
Liara saw the sorrow of loss enter her friend's eyes and squeezed her hand. "My sweet Falere. I would love to hear more about Rila. How I wish I could have known her as well."
"You would have loved her," Falere gushed, her whole face lighting up. "She was a powerful biotic like you; more so than me. She was so patient and kind. She could sit and play the piano for hours and hours at a time, just lost in her own universe of music. I used to watch her for hours at a time, sometimes playing harp or violin with her. And she was so elegant and graceful. She could make washing dishes look graceful."
Liara giggled at the imagery. She was about to reply when she heard the skycar returning home, followed by the incredibly loud ruckus of Wrex and Grunt.
"Where are the little krogan babies?!" Wrex bellowed.
Both Falere and Liara looked at each other then burst into another fit of giggles. They giggled even harder when they heard Shepard and Grunt's voice join the ruckus.
"Oh for heaven's sake, Wrex. They're not krogan!" Shepard argued.
"I get to see them first!" Grunt bellowed, followed by a battle cry as he charged into the house.
"Oh good goddess," Liara said, shaking her head in continued amusement.
"Grunt!" Shepard hollered after the excited krogan. "They're not inside Gru-! oh never mind."
Wrex let out a hearty guffaw. "Hahahaha! Foolish little pyjack. He'll learn one of these days."
"And surely not from you, Wrex," Urdnot Bakara's voice joined the conversation.
By the time the two krogan and Shepard made it back to the flower garden, poor Liara and Falere were barely able to breathe they were giggling so hard. Naiala and Elaria seemed to pick up on their mirth because they were flailing their little arms and smiling toothless little smiles. When Wrex saw Liara, he immediately hustled to her, then stopped in front of her, lowering his head so he was eye-level with the little bundle in her arms. He and Naiala stared at each other for several moments, and for a terrible moment Liara was afraid Naiala might burst into tears. Instead, she surprised everyone by reaching out with both her little hands and latched onto his lower lip with an excited baby noise.
Everyone, including Urdnot Bakara, began chortling uncontrollably. Wrex pulled away from the little bundle with a chuckle. "Just like her parents! Fearless! Hell, I've scared baby krogan before with my face! Hahahaha!"
"You could scare just about anyone with your face," Bakara muttered affectionately.
Shepard clapped Wrex on the back with a laugh. "How could my little girls be afraid of you Wrex? You're a giant marshmallow, and you know it."
He moved to Elaria and received much the same reaction that Naiala had given him, causing him to chuckle even more. "Who're the cutest little nieces in the whole galaxy?" he said in a deep, gentle voice. "Is it you? Is it little Naiala and Elaria?" He leaned forward a little more and nuzzled his giant nose into Elaria's stomach, making the little infant burst into a fit of giggles.
While Wrex fawned over Elaria, Bakara made her way to Liara. "May I?" she asked a little hesitantly.
Liara gave her a warm smile and unhooked Naiala from her harness. "Of course." She handed the little bundle to the krogan, waiting a little anxiously as the female shaman studied her daughter.
Naiala wiggled in Bakara's arms as she studied her, but she didn't fuss or appear nervous. "You have strong genes, little one," Bakara said in a gentle voice, though it still held the same firmness. "I welcome you to Clan Urdnot." The shaman ran a gloved talon over Naiala's little crest, saying something in an ancient krogan tongue Liara's translator couldn't sort out.
The sweet moment burst when Wrex suddenly burst out in another hearty guffaw. "She head-butted me! Shepard and Falere saw it! She really is one-eighth krogan!"
Liara and Bakara looked over and watched as, sure enough, little Elaria head-butted him again when he leaned close. After Naiala did, she burst into another fit of giggles and latched onto his face again with her little blue hands. Right about then Grunt came charging out of the back door looking like a crazed animal.
"Wrex tricked me!" he growled, charging forward to attack his clan leader. Shepard planted herself in front of the worked up krogan before he made his way over.
"Grunt. Calm down. I won't have you destroying this lovely flower garden Liara and Falere spent months creating. Nor will I have you upsetting my daughters."
The krogan immediately looked down, looking quite deflated. Liara tried hard not to laugh. Shepard's effect on the young krogan never ceased to amuse her. The biggest, strongest, "pure" krogan out there was completely owned by her wife. Granted, she was the savior of the galaxy, but still. It amused her to no end.
"Sorry, Shepard," he mumbled, fidgeting with his talons.
"Good. Now go meet the newest members of your clan."
His face lit back up when Bakara offered up a wiggling Naiala. He trundled over to her and held out his giant hands, and Bakara delivered the infant into them.
"You're very squishy," he said to Naiala, though his face betrayed his immediate infatuation. Liara giggled again. "But that's okay," he continued. "Clan Urdnot will watch your back until you can head-butt with the best of them."
Shepard made her way to Liara, giving her a lingering hello kiss. "Missed you," she murmured around the kiss.
"Missed you too," Liara replied, sighing happily as Shepard wrapped her arm around her in a fierce embrace.
"Your kid smells funny," Grunt declared.
Shepard and Liara both laughed and the human kissed her wife's cheek. "I'll get it. You stay here and make sure Grunt stays far away from your Thessian Rose."
Liara smiled. "If he goes anywhere near it, I'll trap him in a Singularity and 'fling his ass' to the nearest spaceport."
Shepard blinked. "Why is it so sexy when you swear? I think you do that because you want to get in my pants. It's all apart of your evil plan to seduce me."
Liara leaned in so no one else could hear (which they couldn't anyway because they were all distracted fussing over babies) and said in a low, seductive tone, "I'm always trying to get in your pants, My Commander. You just try and stop me later tonight."
Shepard shivered. Then she seemed to remember there was a baby in need of changing and quickly shook herself out of her obvious fantasy. "Right. Baby. Is it night yet?"
Liara laughed softly as her slightly flushed bondmate took Naiala from Grunt and headed for the house. Liara watched her wife's backside with a small smirk before turning her attention back to her guests. How she did love Shepard's deliciously shapely ass. She already wished it was dark so she could be grabbing onto aforementioned ass while Shepard did wonderfully sinful things to her.
"Now Grunt. See that rose over there? Go anywhere near it and I'll be forced to Warp your face into the next century."