Chapter 22

Lakota woke slowly while the tranquil threads of her deep-seated slumber languidly faded away. Idly, she thought she heard something on the periphery of her awareness, but the dreamweave was still thick in her mind making her perceptions hazy. She breathed in deeply, then gently exhaled a long whispered sigh, letting the stray thought sift away while snuggling into the enticing softness of the familiar form beside her. As she drifted on the precipice between sleep and wakefulness, like floating on the lulling waves of peaceful water, slumber attempted to coax her back to the deep, blissful oblivion of nothingness.

Then, she felt supple lips brush tenderly on her forehead.

"Good morning."

The melodic voice murmuring words of an early greeting was a sound Lakota knew she would never tire of hearing. Without opening her eyes, she smiled and somehow managed to slide even closer into the comforting warmth as she carefully turned her head on the pillow. When her eyes finally opened, she saw blue ones, dark as the ocean's depths, staring back at her in candid adoration.

"Good morning," Lakota replied drowsily as her gaze, almost of its own volition, slid along the contours of Liara's body which was provocatively outlined beneath the thin layer of an ivory sheet.

Without a sound, they both shifted in unison, Lakota slipping her arm underneath Liara's neck while the researcher draped her right arm and leg across her lover's naked form. Then, Lakota hugged Liara as closely as possible, not wanting to let her go. Liara returned the embrace, snuggling into her lover's body in that familiar way—tucked up under her chin as if there were only the two of them in the universe and nothing else mattered. Feeling the soothing warmth of skin on skin contact both of them closed their eyes and basked in the contentedness of the moment.

Time drifted by with an easy leisure… until Liara yawned involuntarily.

"You should go back to sleep," the Spectre instructed, humor edging her own drowsy tone. Spending almost half of her life on starships had given Lakota an intuitive sense of time. Even without seeing a clock, she knew they had a few hours before either of them would be needed.

Tightening her embrace, Liara said, "No."

"No?" Lakota echoed as she placed an affectionate kiss on the Asari's forehead.

"No. There are questions to which I want answers."

Amused by her lover's childlike stubbornness, Lakota said, "If they were so important, why didn't you ask them last night?"

"You distracted me."

"I distracted you?"

"Yes."

"Um… the minute I walked into the room you wrapped your biotics around me, threw me on the bed, then proceeded to rip off my clothes. I'm not sure how that equates to me distracting you."

"You were too cute to resist."

"I am many things, Doctor, but cute isn't one of them."

"I beg to differ, Commander." Since her sleepiness vanished with the influx of playful banter, Liara rolled on top of her lover, effectively straddling her while keeping them both covered by the sheet. Then, smiling coyly, she said, "You are very cute when you are about to—"

"Don't say it," Lakota said hastily, attempting to interrupt her lover's comment.

"—take you first sip of coffee in the morning," Liara finished. Although her expression was that of purest innocence, the mischievous twinkle in her eyes was not.

The Spectre glared at her lover in feigned irritation. "Coffee. Right," she said dryly as her fingers traced the back of the Asari's well-toned thigh. "Before you decide to label me with 'cuddly', perhaps you should just ask those questions that were curtailed by my cuteness."

Liara grinned and planted a soft kiss on Lakota's chin. "Do you really trust Kaidan?" she asked, the tone of her voice absent of all good-natured teasing it held seconds earlier. "Trust that what he is saying is the truth?"

Pale green eyes turned darker for a moment, then sighing heavily, Lakota let her head sink further into the pillow. She stared at the ceiling of her quarters, through the observation port, watching the stars streak by as she contemplated the question. Finally, she said, "No. I want to, but I can't afford to."

Liara nestled in closer, shifting so her chin rested on the Spectre's chest. Blue eyes met green and lingered within their serene expanse momentarily before breaking the silence. "What are you going to do?"

"I've asked Garrus to keep an eye on him."

Liara's brow furrowed in concern. "Is that enough?"

"Kaidan doesn't know how we found out about the transmissions and I'm not going to tell him. If he's not being truthful and sends another message, we'll know. If he decides to get sneakier, I'm sure Tali or EDI will let me know."

"Tali or EDI?" Liara questioned. She was slightly confused by their addition to the conversation. "Did you ask them to help, as well?"

Lakota shook her head. "No, but you know Garrus. He'll eventually confide in Tali and when he does, EDI will undoubtedly overhear the conversation." Seeing the disbelieving look on Liara's face, she added, "Don't get me wrong, Garrus is completely trust-worthy. He's a good soldier, an even better friend and a great shot with sniper rifle, but when it comes to secrets and rumors, he just can't help himself. He's going to make some sort of sarcastic comment that Tali will demand he explain. And you know how Tali gets when she wants to know something. Whether it's by shotgun or combat drone, Tali will get her answers. She's tenacious."

"Then perhaps you should have asked Garrus to filter his more colorful commentary."

"Not a chance," Lakota stated firmly, a devilish gleam in her eyes. "His commentary on missions is priceless."

Raising skeptical eyebrow, Liara said, "Hmmm… sounds like someone else I know."

Lakota smiled sheepishly and wrapped both of her arms around the Asari's waist as quiet serenity seemed to settle around them. "It's one of my most endearing traits."

"That's not quite how I remember it when we were on Sur'Kesh."

Flashing her most innocent look, Lakota said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Then let me refresh your memory," Liara replied, sounding a bit churlish. "You, Garrus, me and an escaped Yagh."

"Oh," Lakota said, her eyes opened wide and she nodded her head in exaggerated seriousness. "You mean the next Shadow Broker who was mumbling the name T'Soni."

Liara laughed out loud at the well-worn joke and then playfully squeezed Lakota's body with her legs and arms. In retaliation, the Spectre used her strength and leverage to roll on top of the Asari, effectively reversing their positions. This led to an impulsive, light-hearted wrestling match that ended with Liara back on top, and a wanton, lustful energy coursing between them. Their eyes locked on each other and the room around them seemed to fade away leaving only each other in this moment of wondrous bliss.

Emotions welled up in Liara's chest making it hard for her to breathe as her thoughts were caught in a bittersweet reverie, one that was too compelling to ignore. Like so many times before a sense of amazement radiated from her core as she gazed into the pale green eyes that belonged to the one who meant the most to her. The woman whose presence complimented and completed her life in ways she had never known before. A presence that just a few weeks prior had almost vanished from her existence entirely. As she reached out and her fingertips lovingly brushed the outline of Lakota's cheek, she whispered, "I cannot imagine my life without you in it."

Lakota gazed at Liara adoringly. "I know the feeling."

Staring into the reverence of those doting green eyes, Liara was flooded with an impulsive need to disclose her innermost thoughts. "Before you," she said, "I had never known this feeling. I lived without it all my life. Then you showed up unexpectedly, magically, and brought it to me for the first time."

The researcher's expression softened as she recalled the first time they met, a brief interlude eleven years before Therum, complete strangers to each other, but inexplicably drawn together nonetheless. They had gravitated towards one another right from the start. "Do you know how much my life has been enriched by your presence? How much I have grown and changed for the better? The gift you have been to me?"

Then, a cascade of unbidden memories occurring after Therum flashed through Liara's mind. The highs and lows of their passionate relationship as it evolved from uncertain strangers to tentative friends, and then finally to intensely involved lovers. The cherished images swept through her like a fast moving mountain torrent leaving her both shaken and invigorated in its passing. To calm her senses, she took in a deep steadying breath, and then exhaled slowly. "There is so much to say... I cannot find the words."

Lakota frowned, taken aback by the unexpected but moving admission. "Liara, where is this coming from?"

The researcher sighed as she laid her head back down upon Lakota's chest taking comfort in the strong, rhythmic beat of her lover's heart. "Everything," she said simply. "The last four years. The war. Your health." She snuggled in closer. "Tomorrow."

Lakota wrapped her arms around the Asari, giving a reassuring squeeze, then placed a tender kiss on the top of her crests. "Tomorrow we'll be at Eletania… we'll get the answers to our questions." Sighing contentedly, she let both of her hands lazily trace nondescript paths over the researcher's sensual curves and smooth skin. She was always amazed by its surreal softness and alluring warmth. "I know we will."

"Everything just seems so uncertain."

"Liara," Lakota murmured, a smile curling on her lips. "Not everything is uncertain."

The Spectre's right hand slid along the Asari's left side, across her shoulder, coming to rest just underneath her chin. Then, she gently encouraged Liara to raise her head. Lakota leaned forward tenderly capturing the Asari's supple lips with her own. The reverent kiss carried the implied devotion, the inferred compassion and implicit trust she bound around her lover.

As the kiss ended, Lakota let her head fall back onto the pillow. "My love for you is not uncertain. It's forever."

Liara smiled softly, her lithesome fingers fondly caressing Lakota's cheek. She belonged to this woman, the missing piece to the puzzle that had been found so long ago. The piece that was essential to her happiness. And with that simple thought, Liara realized that she desired something more from their union. "Shepard… marry me."

"Marry you?" Lakota repeated, confusion evident in her eyes.

Nodding her head, Liara said, "Yes. Will you, Lakota Shepard, marry me?"

Lakota took a deep breath as she tried to wrap her mind around the shift in conversation. She didn't want to offend her lover, but neither did she comprehend what sparked the seemingly impulsive question. "I'm bound to you already, Liara. Marriage won't change that or deepen my connection or commitment to you… to us."

"I know," Liara began slowly, her voice tender, intimate, "but Asari tradition isn't enough for me. I want to be bound to you in human tradition as well. I know it is only symbolic, that it won't deepen our bond, but it may strengthen it."

Still bewildered by the unexpected request, Lakota asked, "You've never said anything before, why now?"

Liara gazed at her lover thoughtfully, her fingertips gently tracing a path across her forehead, slipping into the strands of dark hair as she gathered her thoughts. "I'm Asari, a species whose life spans a thousand years. You're human. If you're lucky, you'll live past one hundred and fifty. That's not nearly enough time to have together, but that is the reality we live in."

Lakota opened her mouth to say something, but a long blue finger pressed down firmly on her lips, halting any reply.

"I don't normally think of how much time we'll have together, but when I do I know that someday you'll be gone and I'll be left alone. And when I think about that day…" Liara suddenly found it hard to swallow, and rapidly blinked her eyes, forcing back the tears. "When I think about that day," she began again, her voice trembling slightly, "I know I will want to be able to look back on our time together and I'll have wanted to experience everything with you because those memories are going to have to sustain me for a very long time."

Lakota saw a vulnerability reflected in Liara's eyes, a sorrow drifting within their vibrant blue expanse which made her heart clench within her chest and quelled any pithy response she might have had. Logically she knew that Liara, barring unforeseen circumstances, would outlive her, but she never let her thoughts dwell on that particular facet of the future. Instead, she focused on being fully in the moment and enjoying their immediate time together. Hearing the researcher's heartfelt admission, though, brought their inevitable fate to the forefront of her mind. The idea of no longer being in Liara's presence, of no longer sharing her life with the one she held most dear felt like a gaping wound in her chest. It was a scenario that was not easily digestible.

As thoughts continued to swirl in her head, Lakota was still unsure of what to say, so she offered a particularly vulnerable expression in an attempt to convey her understanding. Then, the fingers of her right hand slipped along the back of the Asari's ridged neck and drew her down for a long, slow, decidedly fervent kiss.

When the kiss ended, Liara laid her head back down on Lakota's chest, feeling the slow rise and fall as her lover breathed in and out. The steady rhythm was soothing. "I know you don't have much regard for the custom, but… I've almost lost you twice." Unwilling to look Lakota in the eye, Liara merely shifted so that every possible inch of her lover's flesh was touching her own. "Bonding with you in such a way, sharing that experience with you would mean so much to me."

Overwhelmed by the underlying significance those words carried both in the immediate moment and the inevitable future, Lakota found herself unable to speak. So, instead, she responded by tightened her embrace, holding Liara as close as possible. She was aware of how difficult the admission must have been because it was just as equally heartbreaking to hear. And even though Lakota couldn't conceptualize the idea of living for a thousand years, she could imagine what it would be like to live out the rest of her existence without Liara. That thought caused a sinking feeling in her chest that settled heavily in her stomach. Right then, she knew that if their fates were somehow reversed and she was left alone in this world, she too would cherish such an experience for all time.

"Yes," Lakota whispered as she kissed Liara's temple as tenderly and lovingly as she knew how. Then, she drew back and, after Liara raised her head, cupped the side of the Asari's face in the palm of her hand, their eyes glimmering with unshed tears. "Let's get married."

Liara inhaled sharply, catching her breath. She regarded her lover intently for several seconds, tilting her head in an almost perplexed fashion, memorizing each millimeter of the Spectre's face, finding adoration and more in her fathomless gaze.

Lakota lifted a brow, blinking a bit under the scrutiny. "What?" she said, a smile playing on her lips. "Surprised I said yes?"

Eyes widening in astonishment, Liara shook her head. "No! Yes! Maybe," she sputtered. As she took in a deep breath, her features softened and she admitted, "I'm not sure. I think I may be more surprised that I asked."

"But you still want to, right?" Lakota said, a barely perceptible smirk curling at the corner of her mouth.

"Yes," Liara replied soberly. Then, she leaned down to place a hauntingly soft kiss on her lover's lips, applying subtle but firm pressure within the intimate exchange as though to cement their mutual decision. After pulling away, she smiled affectionately. "Definitely."

"Good, because I'm surprisingly attached to the idea now." Before Liara could respond, Lakota's right hand captured the back of her neck, drawing their lips together in another unhurried, sensual kiss.

Eventually, their lips parted but instead of separating they leaned forward until foreheads barely touched, holding themselves still in quiet devotion.

With her eyes closed, Liara's right hand reached out and lightly cupped the side of Lakota's face. Her fingers traced a familiar path down the human's cheek and came to linger on her jawbone. She was constantly surprised by the suppleness and warmth radiating from the body beneath hers. "I love you," she whispered.

Smiling, Lakota replied, "I love you, too."

Liara felt another surge of emotion build within her chest and furrowed her brow to rein it in. "I cherish every second I'm with you and regret every second I wasn't. On Illium… I should have…" she said in a choked voice. "There has been so much time wasted."

Wanting to look into the Asari's eyes, Lakota raised herself up using her bent right arm for support, and gently guided Liara to lie back down on the bed. The sheet slipped from the Spectre's shoulder no longer offering either of them any cover. Fortunately the room was set at a comfortable temperature.

Shaking her head, Lakota said, "No. No regrets." Then she took Liara's right hand and kissed the back before turning it over to kiss the palm. "We're together now, that's all that matters."

As Liara looked at her in quiet adoration, Lakota returned the gaze, studying the researcher's striking and generally bewitching features as she had a thousand times before. Liara had the most captivating and deepest blue eyes she had ever seen. Those eyes had seen great joy and great sorrow, and from their first encounter she found herself drawn to them. Each time they were turned in her direction, an involuntary smile spread across her face.

Grinning impishly, Lakota added, "And of course, there's the fact that we're getting hitched."

Liara smiled hesitantly, the unfamiliar term distracting her from moodier thoughts. "Hitched?"

"A human expression for getting married."

"Why do human expressions always sound demeaning?"

"Oh, that's not even the best of them."

"I think I'm afraid to ask."

"Tie the knot. Jumping the broom. Buying the cow. Taking the plunge."

"Okay… those are both odd and sound somewhat dangerous." Raising an inquisitive eyebrow, Liara echoed, "Jumping the broom?"

"Well, it gets better," Lakota said, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Once we're married, I can refer to you as the old ball and chain." Her brow furrowed, as if she were working through a problem, and then cleared. "Or maybe you'd be a trophy wife."

Liara rolled her eyes in feigned exasperation. "And now they are starting to sound degrading." Whatever dark thoughts lingered in the back her mind had been washed away in the wake of the humorous discussion, as her lover had no doubt intended.

"Oh, come on," Lakota teased, "Asari have got to have some slanderous expressions regarding relationships." She brought her hand to Liara's stomach, luxuriating in the feeling of the silken, blue-hued flesh under her fingertips.

"We evolved beyond that thousands of years ago," Liara said in playful haughtiness.

Lakota snorted. "Sure you have… And Aria and your father are the epitome of your superior linguistic culture." Her fingers spread slowly, tracing gentle circles on Liara's belly, up and then back down again. The circles widened, and she lightly grazed her fingertips over the researcher's hipbone.

Liara inhaled sharply. "I don't know if epitome is the correct descriptor."

"Oh? And what would you choose?" Slowly, the Spectre's fingers resumed their feathery journey along the landscape of graceful curves and flawless plains of smooth azure skin. They circled a hipbone, then wandered down the front of a well-toned thigh, pausing on a kneecap. Afterward they reversed course, taking time to trace the outline of the Asari's leg before delicately skimming the inside of her thigh.

"Shepard," Liara gasped. "Stop."

Lakota paused, judging the sincerity of the request, noting that her lover made no physical action to stop her. Then her fingertips drew a lazy route back across the supple plain of Liara's abdomen and around the graceful curve of a pliant breast. "So, what descriptor would you choose?" she asked again.

Chuckling softly, Liara said, "I would say they are cultural anomalies."

Flashing a roguish grin, Lakota continued her explorations, pausing when her fingers brushed along the outer edge of Liara's ridged neck. Then, she smiled, pleased to feel the Asari's pulse fluttering rapidly under her fingertips. Gently, she caressed the delicate skin on Liara's throat before skimming down to trace a collarbone, hesitating briefly in the dip between the two, then continued to work her way downwards.

She was spellbound as her fingertips languidly followed the various freckled pathways that were thinly scattered across the researcher's chest in arbitrary patterns. The intricate yet spontaneous detail was somehow adorable. Eventually, she slowed her descent to a near halt, taking time to relish the curve of the Asari's breast beneath her fingertips, eliciting another gasp before moving her hand lower to circle a hipbone again.

"Shepard," Liara whispered. "You have to stop."

"Hm," Lakota mumbled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Her fingers continued on their path. Down the outside of a thigh, circling the knee once, then slowly, ever so slowly, skimming up the inside of that thigh, sliding closer and closer towards...

Suddenly Lakota found herself on her back with an Asari on top of her breathing heavily as biotic tendrils danced across their skin wrapping them both in swirling violet energy.

Smoldering blue eyes flashed at her in hunger.

Lakota bit her lower to keep from grinning. "What?" she asked, trying her best to look innocent.

"I still have one more question," Liara growled as she straightened to an upright seated position while still straddling her lover's hips.

"Oh?" the Spectre replied sounding somewhat distracted.

"Shepard…" The low, chiding tone of Liara's voice indicated that she knew exactly what had diverted her lover's attention.

"Hm?" Lakota murmured absentmindedly. Now that the sheet had completely fallen away, the naked form on top of her was difficult to ignore. Especially since the biotic energy surrounding them bathed the researcher's azure skin in a rich and flattering natural luminance.

Liara chuckled softly, then with her right hand grabbed an end of the ivory sheet and wrapped it around her torso. "Is this better?"

The Spectre frowned. "Not really." Both of her hands slipped underneath the sheet and came to rest on the Asari's thighs.

"Well, it can disappear once you answer my question."

"What? Oh, right. Your question. Okay…" Looking somewhat embarrassed, Lakota said, "Ahh… What was it again?"

"I haven't asked it yet," the researcher stated, an amused smile curling at the corner of her lips. Biotic tendrils were still entangling them both.

"I knew that," Lakota mumbled sheepishly. "So, um… What's your question?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Really? You're sitting on top of me, naked, and that's your question?!" Lakota replied in playful disbelief. "Aroused is my answer. Completely and totally aroused."

"I meant regarding physical health. Your headaches. Your dreams."

Lakota knew her lover's question stemmed from more than just concern about her general physical well-being and mental health. Tomorrow they would be on Eletania and if things went well, they would have the answers to all of their questions. But in order to get those answers they would be forced to confront an entire army of mercenaries. There was no doubt in the Spectre's mind that Liara was troubled by the prospect of walking into danger so soon after having escaped it. Admittedly, she knew the situation was less than ideal, but she didn't see any alternative. They had to get to the Prothean site on the planet's surface.

"I'm good," Lakota said hoping the truth about her health would ease some of her lover's concerns. "I haven't had a headache in a few days and my dreams have been normal. It's like I said before, I feel like our melding helped me reclaim a part of me. Something essential. I feel whole again. Complete." Her right hand reached out to the Asari's left, laced their fingers together, and gave a reassuring squeeze. "I don't believe that would have been possible without you."

Liara smiled shyly. "I'm glad."

"How glad?"

"What do you mean?"

"I answered your question, so…"

"So…?" Liara echoed, a coy lilt woven in her tone.

Grinning wolfishly, Lakota tangled her fingers into the sheet and tugged gently, but the Asari did not let it drop.

Sultry blue eyes locked onto wanton green, holding them in a provocative, wordless dance, silently luring and being lured within a hazy, intoxicating eroticism. As the seconds passed, their mutual lust and desire grew, a slow rising burn merging the essences of both and forging them into a single, desperate need. The human and Asari remained statuesque though allowing the passionate swell of energy and fervent emotion to build, to become palpable to each other until Liara, without fanfare or warning, released the cloth, letting it drift aimlessly down her lissome, voluptuous form.

Lakota swallowed.

With a soft growl, Liara pounced, capturing the Spectre's lips, bringing their bodies together as the violet streaks of biotic energy flared around them. Lakota surged up into her, wrapping her arms tightly around the Asari's torso, fingertips pleasurably digging into flesh.

"Are you sure we have time for this?" Liara panted between urgent kisses.

"Hell yes," Lakota replied hoarsely.

"Then prepare yourself."

"For what?"

Liara's mouth descended on her lover's in a fierce, bruising kiss. And in that kiss was a wild freedom, a promise of things to come.

"To be rendered cute and cuddly."

Author's End Note:
For those who are surprised by the turn of events in this chapter, so am I. It was not part of the story's outline nor did I ever envision writing such a scene, like "never in a million years" ever, but sometimes a story evolves on its own in the very midst of writing. This is one of those times.

Also, there is a moment when Liara recalls meeting Shepard before Therum. While that does not happen in "game canon", it does happen in "Lakota Shepard's canon". If you're interested, a brief telling of that encounter can be found in one of Lakota and Liara's stories: "People Like Us – Redux".

Thanks again for all of those who are following this fic and for those who are so gracious to leave feedback. Your interest keeps me both motivated and inspired.