Shepard Stories - Chapter 2: The Gym

Main Characters: Shepard and Liara

Liara's body jerked slightly when she heard her alarm beeping on her omni-tool. She grunted when she looked at the time 0530 then pushed the stop button on her omni-tool. She sat at the edge of her cot for a moment as she rubbed her stiff neck and mumbled "Goddess, this cot is terrible." Then tapped at her omni-tool and made a note to get a better one as soon as possible. She took a breath then stood as she said "Well, if I'm going to be training with Shepard, then I need to get back on my workout regimen."

She began to stretch in front of her cot as she said. "Ok, he said the gym was on the bottom floor." She made her way down to the gym and didn't think many people would be in there, but when she walked down, she could hear the whirring and clanking of machines. As she walked through, she could hear people chatting and laughing as they worked out.

Liara let out a long breath and thought to herself Ok, T'Soni, don't embarrass yourself just a light workout today. Yoga maybe and cardio. Her thought process came to a halt when she could see Shepard out of the corner of her eye lifting weights. Goddess, he has no shirt on! She looked down then made her way over to the small yoga area. As she did yoga, she glanced over at him time and again. Her eyes followed him as he pulled his chiseled body up to the bars. Mmm look at him work those muscles. His body… She shook her head as she closed her eyes Liara, it's just a human man working out. Just concentrate on your yoga.

After her yoga she stepped on the treadmill for a run. Five minutes into her run Shepard walked over to her and stepped on to the treadmill next to her.

He quickly glanced over at her and said, "Good morning, Liara."

She smiled slightly "Good morning, Shepard."

"I see you did some yoga there. Nice, but you should also do some calisthenics."

I see he was watching me as well. "Yes, and I do but it's good to be limber."

Shepard chuckled as he ran, "Yes, I suppose so."

She closed her eyes briefly as he laughed Goddess Liara limber... really? She glanced at him as he ran Mmm…Look at all that sweat dripping down his bare chest. She took a quick breath as her inner desire sparked. She closed her eyes and breathed in mmm I can smell him. What he could do to me, with that body. Mmm Her heart began to race, not from running but from thinking of Shepard sexually.

He called out her name, and her first response was with a breathy sexual tone, "Yes?" Liara quickly cleared her throat and responded again, normally. "Yes, Shepard?"

He smiled at her then said, "I said, how many miles do you normally run?"

"I just run until I'm tired. Maybe five? I'm not sure."

He gave a slight nod, "Good to see you have endurance."

"Well, yes, you have to have it in order to maintain your biotics."

"Very true, Liara."

She glanced over his way again to see he was chatting with Ashley. Her brow markings furrowed, then faded quickly. Liara, you barely know him. Did you just show a hint of jealousy? Ugh, I just want to touch his body.

After her run, she stepped down and began to walk out when he called out to her. "Hey Liara, wait up a minute." She turned to him and waited. He walked over to her and said, "How about tomorrow morning we do some training? Say 0630?"

"Yes, that would be fine." She turned and smiled as she walked out, thinking it would just be the two of them training. Her smile faded when she heard him say, "Hey Ash, Kaiden training tomorrow at 0630. I'll let Tali and Garrus know."

-/

Liara rose early the next morning at 0545 to make sure she made it to training on time. Walking into the gym at 0628, she saw that everyone was already there waiting on her. She checked her omni-tool again to double-check that she wasn't late. "My apologies, am I late?"

"When you're early, you're on time. When you're on time, you're late. When you're late, well…that's unacceptable." Ashley said in a harsh tone.

Shepard nodded at Ashley, "That's right, Ash." He glanced at Liara. "Thank you for joining us, Liara."

Liara turned a darker shade of blue. "I'm sorry for being late. It won't happen again."

Shepard looked at Liara then Tali as he said: "Liara, you and Tali, will be going first." He handed Tali and Liara, a thin chest guard. "Here put this on" She looked at it in confusion as Tali mumbled in irritation.

He slowly paced in front of his crew as he spoke, "Ok, crew, what are our main two rules?"

Kaiden spoke, "Maintain your surroundings and your cover at all times."

Shepard rose his finger, "That's correct, Lieutenant." He looked at Ashley, Garrus, and Kaiden then smiled. "Ladies, your objective is to reach from this corner here to that corner over there, unscathed." He looked at Liara and pointed to her "No harsh biotic moves." He then handed them two weapons. "Here are your weapons. I'll do a countdown of three then you go. Let's see what you got."

Liara's eyes flashed at the weapons then said: "Are we shooting live rounds in here?"

Tali rolled her eyes then said, "Of course not. Now get over here and get ready."

In a loud voice, he barked out, "Hit the lights!" The defending team scrambled into place while the opposing team waited. Liara's heart was jumping out of her chest. She whispered to Tali, "Goddess this is scary."

"It is but you have an advantage, your face isn't glowing…" mumbled Tali

After several minutes in the dark, they heard Shepard say "Ladies on my mark. Lights on my mark. 3 – 2 – 1 – mark!"

Liara's eyes took a second or two to adjust to the lights. Her heart was beating fast as she scanned the area but couldn't see any of her attackers.

Tali looked over at Liara. "We go on two. Ready?"

Liara nodded at her. "And 1.2 break" They broke from cover and ran toward the next set of cover. Liara's body jerked slightly when she felt a hit on her body. She looked down to see a small paint splattered on her protective vest. She huffed as she looked over at Tali, "Goddess, I got hit!"

Tali looked at her then herself. "Ugh me too. Did you see where they are?"

Liara shook her head, then quickly glanced over her cover. "No…"

Tali sighed, "Ok, let's try to move again. Ready?" Liara nodded in agreement.

Before they could move, Shepard called out. "Hold it right there, you two! Everyone else stay where you are!" Shepard appeared before them and pointed to them as he said "Take a look at yourselves. You're both dead." They looked up to see two sniper red dots on their center chest.

He walked over to the side table and grabbed a wet towel and walked back over to Liara and Tali. He wiped the paint off their vests. "Ok, ladies let's try it again, but this time I'll walk you through it." He crouched down behind a crate. "Ladies, listen, look, find your target, then move quickly. Try not to speak because they can hear you, use hand movements. If you don't know them then I suggest you learn them. Now follow my lead."

Their second time through, they made it to the end with Shepard leading them. After continuous variations with different people, it was over. "Ok everyone, bring it in" He smiled as he looked at Liara then Tali, "Much better towards the end, ladies."

Liara looked at him and asked, "Why not just lead us every time?"

"The first time I wanted to see what you could do, and it looks like you need some improvements. I won't always be leading, and at times you'll be in different groups."

She turned a darker shade as she replied, "I didn't know what to expect."

"No one ever knows what to expect in battle, Liara. Each time will be different, and you must be prepared at all times." He paused for a moment then said "Can I touch you?"

Taken back by his last words, she pinched her brow markings and cocked her head "I'm sorry?"

He put up his hands as he spoke, "My hands, can I put them on you?"

Goddess, please do… She looked around the room then back at Shepard nervously. "Yes, I suppose so."

He walked around her as he talked and waited for her to respond. When she did, he grabbed her quickly from behind. Wrapping his arm around her in an abrasive bear hug and clamping on with his other hand. "Now, Liara, what would you do in this situation?"

Frightened that he just did that to her, she nervously said. "I umm well…"

After a moment of her being unable to comply, he withdrew from her. "You, ok? I didn't mean to scare you."

She cleared her throat. "I'm fine."

He quickly pointed to the ground in front of him and said, "Ash front and center!"

"Aye-aye Skipper."

He grabbed her in the same manner. "What would you do in this situation, Williams? Walk them through it."

"Yes, Sir!" she replied as she looked at Liara then Tali. "Depending on the grab and situation. There are different versions of how to get out of this hold. You drop down, bend at the knees. The next moves, you do at full force. Bring your foot down hard on their instep that should break their hold somewhat. Then you turn and move out slightly after impact, hard elbow blow to the side or sternum, then elbow to the throat right in the windpipe. Or you can go for the nose with the elbow or the palm of your hand, then you retreat or shoot them in the face."

Shepard released Ashley. "Nice job Williams" He then walked back up to Liara, "You ready this time?" He said right before he grabbed her again and pulled her in. "Walk me through it, T'Soni."

She swallowed hard then proceeded to explain, "Bend, foot stomp, turn, elbow, elbow, and retreat."

He smiled, then said. "Good! The number one thing to remember here ladies is to not put yourself in that situation. You must always know your surroundings. We will cover other moves the next time we meet up. Liara, what are your biotic skills?"

She responded quickly, "Warp, stasis, throw, and barrier."

Shepard nodded, "What are your weapon skills?"

"Pistol pretty much."

"Ok, show me." He placed a target on a crate then pointed at it "Hit it."

She pulled her very real looking combat training paint pellet gun. She readied her stance and right before she finished pulling the trigger. Ashley made a loud noise behind her, and Liara jumped as she shot then narrowed her eyes at Ashley.

Shepard looked at Liara. "Try again Liara, not every moment is going to be perfect. You have to be prepared for everything. Look, aim, and shoot. Focus but not so much, that you lose your background. Try again."

She looked, aimed, and right before she was about to shoot, he gently eased up behind her and blew on her neck. She tensed up and missed her target again.

He chuckled then said, "T'Soni, so tell me again about these commandos you trained with?"

She dropped her head, then shook it. "They would be disappointed. I know that much."

He touched her shoulder. "Rusty, huh?"

She nodded, "Yes, you can say that."

"Would you like to work on your skills?" he replied.

A smile slowly appeared on her face. "Yes, that would be fantastic."

He turned toward Williams. "Hey…"

Liara touched his arm. "With you, if you don't mind."

He looked at her, "Alright, T'Soni." He called back to Williams "Ash, get Liara set for a sparring match."

"Aye-Aye Skip. Is she sparring me?" asked Ashley

"Nah, Chief, she wants to fight me." He said as a grin crept across his face.

Ashley set Liara in a pair of gloves as she spoke to her "He's not going to go easy on you. Well, he never has with anyone else."

Liara blinked for a moment. "Wait, are we really sparring? I thought we were just going to cover moves?"

Williams laughed. "Good luck" She put headgear on her and placed a mouthguard in her mouth.

Shepard took his shirt off then pulled on a set of gloves. He turned toward Liara as he tapped his gloves together. "Alright, T'Soni. Let's see what you got" he said then waved her on.

She looked at him. Goddess, why does he have to fight with his shirt off?

They danced around the mat for a bit as she threw a few punches, and he tapped her back gently. He grimaced at her "I'm not impressed T'Soni; you're making this too easy for me." He pushed her hard and with a stern voice said, "Don't be scared. Are you some kind of, weak little princess? Come at me. Let's go!"

With fire in her eyes, she came at him like a raging bull. Swinging at him quick and fast, making contact with his chest. Then she moved toward his face, and he swiftly blocked her jabs. He taunted her again as he waved her on "Come on T'Soni what else you got? Is that it? It's weak!"

She growled and came at him harder. Shepard purposely missed, but he swung at her. She stepped back to retreat. He taunted her more "You scared, or are you going to lay more on me, huh princess? Come on weakling!"

Pinching her brow markings as she threw a low kicking sweep to his leg. He went down but recovered quickly. "Oooh, you want to use legs huh? Alright let's go" He growled as he biotically charged her but ever so gently rammed into her.

Caught by surprise she fell down on her butt.

Scalding her "What's the matter, T'Soni? Do you need a break?"

She spit out her mouthpiece as she stood and came back harsh "I don't know Shepard, weren't you just laying down on the job?"

Shepard rumbled in laughter. "Oooh, now that was a quip, T'Soni! I like it."

She came at him as he was talking, jabbing at him quickly. As quickly as she made the jabs, he blocked or dodged them. He continued his taunts toward her. "Is this all you're capable of? If so, it's weak." He saw the anger in her eyes. There it is. He continued to taunt her "Come on weakling! Let's go!"

In anger, she bit her glove and ripped it off. Then in a blind rage, she grabbed him in a stasis field and threw him into a stack of crates and yelled "I am not weak!"

Ashley ran over to him. "Skipper, are you ok?" She turned to Liara in anger. "Damn it, Liara, this is a fucking training session, not a damn battle! Kaiden help me get him out of there."

Kaiden called up to Joker, "Joker, can you get Dr. Chakwas down to the gym ASAP!"

A voice came overhead, "Copy that LT."

Instant horror came over Liara's face. She ran over to them and attempted to help. "Goddess, I am so sorry!"

Ashley glared at her as she harshly replied "Liara, I think you've done enough."

They heard Shepard groan after several moments and a few attempts to move him from the busted crates. He sat up and blinked his eyes hard. "Damn Liara" He was about to stand up when he heard an older woman, "You wait right there, young man. What happened here?"

With anger Ashley spoke, "Well, during our training session. Blue here decided to biotically throw our Commander with force, into these damn crates!"

Dr. Chakwas furrowed her forehead as she looked at Liara, "I see, I'm sure he's fine Chief. Let's just take a quick look." She said as she scanned him with her omni tool.

Kaiden walked up to the doctor and spoke in her ear. "He was out for a few moments."

She nodded as she finished her scan of the Commander. "Alright, Commander, let's get you up and into the med bay."

"I'm fine, Karin. There's no need for the med bay." Shepard said as he stood up.

With a stern voice Dr. Chakwas replied, "I'll let you know what's ok and not ok when it comes to medical care Commander. Now get to the med bay!"

Shepard groaned. "Yes, ma'am. Everyone else get a shower and get some chow."

—/

Liara walked through the med bay with her head lowered as she quickly walked to her room as Dr. Chakwas tended to Shepard. When she appeared thirty minutes later, he was already gone. Karin spoke as she heard Liara walking up to her. "He's fine, dear. Nothing he hasn't experienced before. Just a few minor bruises, a couple of scrapes, and an extremely minor head knock. Nothing major. He'll be fine in a few hours. He'll be down for breakfast shortly to speak with you."

Liara nodded then walked out into the mess hall to see the majority of the Normandy crew glaring at her and talking harshly about what happened. She lowered her head and stood in line to quickly grab her food then retreated back to her room.

Shepard came down to the mess hall to see Liara not down there. He heard people talking ugly about her and about what happened. Shepard whistled loudly to catch everyone's attention then spoke in a commanding voice, "Listen up! What happened down in the training area today was what I wanted to happen. I needed to see what Liara was capable of before I took her on any mission. None of you will scorn her about this or continue to speak of this in a negative manner. If you have a problem with her or my training lessons, then you come speak to me directly. Am I understood?"

They all acknowledge, "Yes, Sir!"

"Good now get back to what you were doing." He grabbed his tray of food and made his way to Liara's room. He knocked on her door and waited for her to answer. When she didn't, he spoke to her through the door. "Liara, it's Shepard. May I come in?" He heard her soft voice. "Come in."

He entered and set his tray off to the side on a crate. "Are you ok?"

She wiped the last of her tears away and cleared her throat. "Yes, I'll be fine."

He pointed to a short stack of crates near her desk. "May I?"

She nodded, "Please."

Shepard spoke in a gentle tone, "My crew members can be children at times. I'm sorry if they hurt you with their rude and ugly behavior. I've already spoken to them about it, and everyone is at an understanding."

Liara lowered her head and clasped her hands together in her lap. "Shepard, I could have seriously injured you. What if I threw you into a wall?"

He gently placed a hand on hers. "But you didn't, Liara."

She took a deep breath, "Ashley told me you don't go easy on anyone, but you did on me. Why?"

He smirked at her "I didn't go easy on you. I wasn't there to physically harm you. I wanted to see what you were capable of. I noticed my taunting irritated you. So, I continued to lay it on, and you showed me exactly what I wanted to see. You're not afraid to give it your all when the time calls for it. You came at me with fierce intensity. When you've had enough, you ended the situation. This is what I want from you in battle. Everything you have and never be afraid to dig deep within you. I knew it was there. I just had to draw it out of you."

She laughed slightly "It's been a long time since I've done anything like that."

He patted her hand. "And…. How do you feel?"

She looked up at him "For a brief moment, I felt enlightened. Right up until I noticed I injured you."

He chuckled. "Well, Liara, you did a damn fine job today. Do you mind if I eat in here with you?"

She smiled at him "I would like that and thank you. Can you tell me something about you?"

He finished his bite of food. "Let's see, where do I begin? I'm a military brat. My parents were in the military all my life, it's a part of my upbringing. It's what I know. My mother is an Admiral in the Alliance Navy, she's a very stern woman and can be very scary if you make her angry. She tends to rule with an iron fist when it comes to discipline. She follows a three strikes you are out rule. Meaning that, if she tells you to do something, then you do it right then, and you do it to her standards the first time. The point is, you don't let her tell you a second time, and you definitely don't ever get to three."

Liara cocked her head to the side, "What happens if she gets to three?"

His eyebrows quickly popped up, then let them fall. "Well, she tears into your hide is what and you don't want that. My siblings and I have had our fair share of testing her capabilities on that subject. So much so, that now she can put the fear in us with just a look, but she can do that with anyone, I'm sure. Don't get me wrong, normally my mother is a very playful and kind woman when it comes to non-work life. Her at work, well that's a different story."

"She sounds somewhat similar to my mother in a way. My mother expected a lot from me. We are of a high society of living, so there's a standard you're supposed to portray. I'm a lady of house T'Soni. I grew up as an only child on a very large estate with my mother, her acolytes, and commandos. It was a very interesting upbringing. She, on the other hand, is a matriarch, a spiritual and philosophical leader. I was not to be an embarrassment to her. As I grew older, I rebelled against her when my love for the past became my interest. I didn't want to be a leader or follow in her footsteps. I wanted to follow my passion to become an archeologist instead. She was very disappointed in me, and I haven't spoken to her since I left home many decades ago."

"I see, so you know nothing of her involvement with this rogue Spectre." He asked

She shook her head as she replied, "No, I don't. To be honest, this involvement you speak of is not like her. I don't understand it. I see her involving herself, in the beginning, to diffuse the situation but not to enhance it. My mother is a very strong-minded person, has always been a leader, not a follower. Something is very wrong for her to change like this."

He sat there for a moment in thought and nodded. He stood slowly and patted her shoulder. "I should get going. Thank you for the chat, Liara."

"It was my pleasure, Shepard."

He gathered their trays then said, "We should do it again."

She smiled, "Of course."

"I'll see you around."

-/

Liara became accustomed to their everyday chats in the evening. She waited for them eagerly every day around 2100 hours. They would talk for about thirty minutes to an hour, then he would return to his quarters. When he was injured, and in the med bay she knew he wouldn't show. On the days he wasn't, she expected them.

She looked down at her omni tool time. It was 2120 and he hasn't showed. She stared at the door as she fiddled with her hands. Her brow markings pinched as her heart dropped in sadness. Closing her eyes as she shook her head lightly Oh, Liara, you've fallen for him, haven't you? She couldn't stand it anymore. Liara left her room to seek him out. When she reached his quarters, she saw the light on his door was still green. She took a breath then knocked on it gently.

Shepard answered "Come in."

Walking in she expected it to be just him, but she saw Ashley leaning on his desk laughing as they were conversing. She noticed her body language toward him. It was the same body language she gave toward him. Great, competing with Ashley is not something I really want to do. "I'm sorry." She turned to leave, but he stopped her. "We're just finishing up, Liara."

Ashley walked by her and said "Liara…"

She nodded at her as she replied, "Ashley…"

He got up from his chair and walked over to his small table. "Want to join me over here?" She smiled and followed him over. As they sat, he said, "What can I do for you Liara?"

She wrung her hands together under the table, she had no reason to be there but to be near him. Think quickly, Liara… As she thought, he looked down at his omni-tool time. He smiled and made a quick chuckle. "Ah I see, it's 2145. I guess I'm late for our chat?"

She turned a shade darker as she spoke, "I'm sorry, Shepard." Extremely embarrassed, she got up from the chair to leave, but he grabbed her hand "Hey, don't be sorry. I enjoy our time we spend together."

She sat back down and let out her breath. Her hands wrung together on the table, "I need to discuss something with you, but I'm not sure how to begin."

He saw how nervous she was, and he had a feeling for what she was going to say. Throughout the last month she accepted his flirting and playful banter toward her. She was comfortable around him. "How about I begin?" he said

Relieved of proceeding, she responded quickly, "Ok, please go ahead."

He sat in confidence as he looked at her. "I have feelings for you too, Liara. I have for a while now. It's why I come by every day. I feel the need to see you. It's why I'm so protective of you when we go on our missions together."

A wave of emotions flowed through her. "I thought maybe you did but wasn't sure. I've never had feelings like this before." Thinking of Ashley, she blurted out. "What of Ashley?"

His brows pinched as his head jerked back a little. "What about Ashley?"

She hesitantly replied, "I thought maybe..."

He scrunched his brows as he shook his head "No, Ashley and I are just friends. There's nothing going on there."

Her brow markings lifted, "Maybe you should let her know that."

He nodded as he said "You're right. I should."

"I'm sorry, Shepard. I just don't know what's come over me, I've never felt like this before. I don't understand this. How can this happen in such a short amount of time?"

He smiled at her then said, "Things like this just happen at the oddest of times. There doesn't have to be a reason behind it. We have a physical attraction toward each other, and we enjoy each other's company. That's all it takes. If we can maintain a professional relationship during duty and around the crew, then I would like to continue this."

She looked at him and smiled, "I can do that, Shepard. Can we finish where we left off last time?"

He nodded, "Of course, I was telling you about my brother, I think."

"Yes, I'm intrigued that you are a twin. Is he exactly like you?"

"That's the odd thing. See, with humans, there are two ways to have multiple births in a womb. Let's just focus on twins here. There are fraternal twins that are fertilized by two eggs and two sperms at the same time. So, they are different. They can be two boys or two girls or one of each. Now with identical twins we come from the same egg and sperm. When we were in the womb, my mother came in contact with an extremely large amount of eezo. The doctors were all amazed at the miracle that we all didn't die from it or that my mother didn't get some form of cancer. She became ill for a short time frame, and that was all that happened to her. What did happen to the embryos were that they became mutated somewhat. The eezo gave us both biotic abilities and changed our appearance slightly."

She squinted her eyes at him as she leaned on the table and responded: "How so?"

"Well, my brother Alexander James Shepard has blonde hair and emerald green eyes. He's very much like my mother at times, playful but very hardcore. His patience if very short, and his temper comes on quick like a snake ready to attack. He acts before he thinks. I, on the other hand, brown hair, and crystal blue eyes. Unlike my brother, I'm more like my father. Also, playful, but I have a lot more patience toward others. I'm compassionate, understanding, I try to do the right thing, I like to think before I act. We're almost polar opposites. I wouldn't say he's a complete renegade, but he definitely lingers towards one. He would rather punch someone in the face to get his point across than to talk his way through it. I, on the other hand, linger toward paragon.

We have similar interests when it came to certain things such as music and athletics. We loved sports, especially football." He smirked "Man did we kick ass at that game. All through our childhood I was always the one to keep him in check. I always had to calm him down. Then a bombshell hit us when we were seventeen. My father died suddenly, and it crushed us. We all changed slightly after that. Death can do that to a person. We put a hold on what we were doing at the time, and we joined the military. At the time we felt that the Alliance would provide us with the answers we were so desperately seeking. I believe more than anything it was a distraction; you know to keep our minds busy. My brother and I went into the same fields and accomplished the same goals. He was damn good at what he did, but his anger was a problem, and with me not around, there was no one to control him. One day he flew off the hinges and hit a superior officer in the face repeatedly. He was court marshaled and only did six months in jail, thanks to my mother." He ran his hand over his mouth "That had to have been ummm eight years ago. I talk to him every now and again. He lives a very different life that we don't approve of, but it's his life."

Liara raised her brow markings quickly. "Wow, he sounds like a handful. What of your sister?"

He let out a breath "My sister Kathleen Gwyndolyn Shepard, she is five years younger than us. About your same height, build, beauty, and very athletic. Light brown wavy hair and hazel eyes. Her personality is much like mine, but her passion now is science. She's a scientific research analyst in the intelligence department of the Alliance. When we were younger, her athletics were volleyball and softball. She always enjoyed science, but her love was music."

Liara furrowed her brow markings, "Does she not love it anymore?"

He rubbed his chin as he replied, "Music was something my father really enjoyed, and he shared it with us all. His knowledge of it and his passion for it. It was something that we did together as a family. We all did very well with it, and we could have possibly gone further than we did. Katie had the most beautiful voice when she sang."

Liara lowered her eyes, and sympathetically said: "Then your father died…"

He looked off to the side and in a saddened tone, replied, "Yes, that's right. He died, and the music died with him." He paused for a moment then cleared his throat. "Well, I think I'm going to go to bed. Thank you for the conversation, as always."

She stood and smiled at him softly, "Of course, Shepard."