Shepard Stories II - Chapter 23: The Aftermath: Benezia
Main Characters: Liara and her daughter Benezia
Armali, Thessia – T'Soni-Shepard Estate
Late into the evening, Liara walked back into the med-bay after Dr. Caliix kicked her out earlier that day and told her to go home. Liara, there's nothing you can do right now but let them rest. After their surgeries, patching up and detoxing, they just slept. She quietly walked over to her daughter, who was sleeping on her back. Liara's face twisted as she looked her over and shed tears. Oh, my baby. I'm so sorry this happened to you. She wiped the tears away as she walked toward her bondmate, who was lying on his back asleep, but his head was turned away from her. She frowned at the sight before her, his beautiful hair she loved so much was now all gone. His head was shaved as was his beard on his face. She sighedGoddess; he looks like a different man. I haven't seen him like this in twenty-eight years… Aww, his lovey hair…. Oh, my love, there's so many wounds. She hovered over him until she heard him say, "Lia?"
"Yes, lovey?" She murmured
He turned to face her and smiled "How'd I know it was you?"
She smiled when he slid over and softly patted the bed then said. "I know you're dying to."
She crawled into the bed then propped herself on her side and whispered, "I'm afraid to touch you. There's so many wounds."
He brought his finger to her lips "Shhh. Just cuddle with me. I need your touch."
She gently leaned against him, "I've missed you." He kissed her lips, and she let him devour on them. She felt her face trickling with tears. "Oh, my love, I was so worried I was going to lose you…. Lose you both …. I… I don't—"
He gently wiped her tears from her cheeks "Shhh enough of that. You didn't lose us. We're here. You're not getting rid of me that easily."
She grinned at him "Oh, I hope not. I'm never getting rid of you. You're my everything."
He chuckled, "I don't know. These new scars are hideous."
"Baby, I'd love you no matter what. My heart is yours. These scars don't change the man I love." She paused for a moment as she looked at his facial wounds, "So… is there no minimizing them or removing them?"
He chuckled and teased her, "Ooooh, where'd the love go?"
She nudged him gently, "Stop it. I do love you and will no matter what."
"Well, according to Dr. Caliix, they're already healing nicely. Once the healing is complete, she will do the best she can to minimize the scar tissue. The scaring will be there just like every other wound I have but hopefully faint and not deep and ugly." He pointed to his head, "Now these will interrupt my lovely hair growth." He laughed when he saw her frown then pout as she ran her fingers on the non-hurt side of his head.
"Don't laugh at me. You know how much I love your hair. Now it's just fuzzy."
"Oh, my blue goddess. It'll grow back." He said as he caressed her face then looked into her eyes, "I love you."
"I love you." She sniffed him, "I just realized you don't smell…"
He chuckled then winced at the pain, "Thanks…. I guess…and stop making me laugh."
"No, I mean you've been gone for a week without a shower, and you all are normally reeking of outdoor stench when you get back, but you don't. I'm not trying to make you laugh…"
He waggled his eyebrows, then said: "I guess Miranda gave me a nice little wipe down."
She slightly jerked her head back as she said "Oh, did she now? I'll have to talk to her about that."
He rolled his eyes, "Oh stop… She was in there with Dr. Caliix and Zen. I'm sure she wasn't feeling me up."
Liara giggled, "I was kidding." She gently ran her fingers over his gown covered chest. "Babe those two baby varren you all picked up are something else."
"How so?" he said
"Well, the little grey one is so cute and super playful. He just loves attention from all the girls and loves playing with Crimson. He whines occasionally, and he's constantly searching the house. I think he's looking for Nezzie, but he cuddles and follows Anna around at times." She replied
Shepard pinched his eyebrows, "Crimson? Who's Crimson?"
She bit her nail then said "Oh, about that… he's another little varren. I picked him up the afternoon of the incident. He's about four to five months old, and he looks just like your N7 armor… he was too cute to pass up. Zen cleared the wild two of exterior parasites but said we need to take them to see a vet. She said they couldn't be more than a couple of months old. They're a little smaller than Crimson. She was surprised that the female's biotics were developed as much as they are. Zen also mentioned that she's very intelligent. I have appointments for both of them at the local vet."
"nMMM you can take Gimpy to the vet, but I don't know about Blue. You might want to wait until I can go with you. Nezzie did baby him for several days, but the first night he cuddled with Anna. What of Blue? Did you notice she looks like you in your armor?"
Liara grunted "I did notice. Babe, she is fierce and wants nothing to do with anyone, not even Alex, and we were surprised. His voice confuses her, and she gets excited when he talks but then realizes it's not you. She smelled him and then turned away. She'll sometimes play with her brother but no one else and definitely not Crimson. She huffs at us and does these little growls when we get too close to her. She also searches the house, and Anna says she's looking for you. Anna came up with the idea of letting her sleep with a dirty shirt of yours. That's what she does most of the day, just cuddles on your shirt. Unlike Gimpy… are we really going to continue to call him that?"
He laughed, "Why not? It's funny, and he was gimpy…still is I'm assuming."
"Well… yes, he is. Zen said he may always be… gimpy as you say because of the damage to his leg but won't be certain until it heals up."
"Then, it suits him. What were you going to say? Unlike Gimpy, what?"
"Oh, Unlike Gimpy, Blue doesn't whine. She just sits and cautiously watches us all. Oh, before I forget. Tevos is here—"
Shepard closed his eyes briefly, then said, "Damn… Aria must be flipping out!"
"Yes, she was. She called me several times, but I didn't answer her calls the entire time you were on the mountain. Then Tev showed up on day three and was furious at me for not returning Aria's calls but then apologized shortly after. I just couldn't deal with Aria at that time, but I did call her while you both were getting patched up. Goddess was she pissed. "How dare you take my daughter on a camping trip into the wilderness with dangerous beasts without informing me blah blah blah." I told her we assumed Mili informed her of the trip, but apparently, she did not. She demanded that her daughter leave and return home with Tevos or to Omega immediately, but Mili refused. Babe… the argument between Mili and her mother was off the charts, and I felt awkward just standing there as they bickered back and forth."
-/
Liara's Office
Milizkia stood in Liara's office while her hands enforced her tone as she scolded her mother, "If you cared for me at ALL, you would have come yourself, not send Tevos in your place!"
You could see the pain ripple through Aria's face for a fraction of a second as her words struck her heart and she took a small breath then replied, "I do care for you, and I was going to!"
Milizkia scoffed "Yea, right! Like you would ever leave your precious Omega!" She shook her head as tears drizzled down her face and yelled: "You NEVER show up for ANYTHING!" She took a choppy breath "…because the only thing that you give a damn about is Omega! I HATE who you are; I HATE what you do, I HATE that you're never around and I will NEVER be like you!" She turned to Liara and said, "If it's alright with you. I would rather stay here until the Academy is finished. A place where people actually care about me."
Liara rose her hands in defense and gently replied, "Mili… If your mother wants you to go home, then you should, but you're always welcome here, and your mother cares for you."
Milizkia nodded at her, then turned and said, "Yea right! Could have fooled me." She looked around then said "Do you see my mother physically here? Because I sure as hell don't and you know what that tells me? That she doesn't give a shit and never will. What kind of mother doesn't show up for something like this?"
Liara sighed as she watched Milizkia walk out of the office then turned to Aria, "I'll send her home with Tevos when she leaves with Lena in the next day or so."
Aria just stood there with a look of defeat on her face as she held back tears and softly replied "No, it's fine let her stay…" she turned as the screen faded to black.
-/
"What Mili said to Aria just damaged her, I know it did because I saw it all over her face. As hardcore as Aria is, I know she had to be worried just as I was about mine. To be helpless from the sidelines and her from lightyears away. We know Aria, and she would do anything for her daughter." Said Liara
Shepard grunted "Yea, but she could have come for her. Yes, her dad was here for her, but a mother's love is different than a father's. You're the one that carries them for nine months, the first ones that nurture them, the first to meld with them in the womb, etc. Aria being here would have made all the difference in the world. How hard do you think it was when Mili saw you jump from that shuttle and run for Benezia or when you probably ran for Anna the moment you saw her?"
"Difficult, I'm sure. I know, she feels at home here and loves it here. I told her she could stay as long as she needed to stay. I don't know what happens at home with Tevos, but it seems like their relationship isn't on a "father" daughter level more of just a friend or guidance level."
Shepard gave a quick side nod, "Maybe it's because Tevos and Aria aren't bonded, or are they?"
Liara shrugged "I don't know. I assume they are because Mili has lived with Tevos the majority of her life. Tev takes on that role of being her "Father or parent." I do know that Mili has a better connection with Miranda, and she calls her mom when she's around but not in front of Aria and Miranda loves her like a daughter. I don't know why she bonds well with me and not with Tevos or her own mother. Maybe she does bond well with Aria... I honestly don't know. It just didn't seem like it on the calls they've had."
"Yea I've noticed. She wants that motherly love and attention that you give all your children that she doesn't get from her mother. Which you've been giving her since she's been here. Well, maybe not complete motherly love but definitely attention and you try to include her in everything. Speaking of motherly love." He jerked his head over at Benezia.
Liara turned to look over at her daughter and sighed, "She's too young to have gone through this sort of trauma."
"I know. She's already having nightmares. I heard her whimpering in her sleep earlier, but then it stopped. It'll get worse; those whimpers will probably turn into screams. She needs you."
"What can I do?" she asked
"You know exactly what to do, the same as what you did for me for years." He kissed her crest, "I know you want to stay with me and cuddle up to me all night, but she needs you. Go to her."
She kissed him, "I do… but you're right." She got out of bed and walked over to her daughter. Liara looked her over and gently ran the back of her hand down her face. Benezia startled awake, quickly blazed her aura and was breathing rapidly. Liara gently said, "Nezzie, it's just me."
Her daughter quickly started crying, "I'm sorry, mom."
Liara leaned in gently said "It's ok sweetie…it's ok. Can I lay with you? It's ok if you don't—"
"No, please…"
Liara smiled at her when she moved over to make room. She climbed into bed with her "Now normally I would just cuddle up to you, but you tell me… You're injured, and I don't want to make your pain worse." Benezia laid her head on her chest and wrapped her arm around her. Liara chuckled "Oh my baby, you always loved to lay with your head on my chest when you were younger, and you loved to listen to my heartbeat." She felt her daughter chuckle then say, "It's soothing." Liara gently caressed her crest but knew better than to dip into her crevices then she felt her let out a long breath. She smiled and said, "You are just like your dad."
Benezia quietly said, "How so?"
"Well, he too loves to rest his head on my chest and loves for me to massage his scalp. It always calms him and usually puts him to sleep. It's always done the same for you and Anna, especially when you were little."
"That's because you have a magic touch, mom." Said Benezia
Liara chuckled "Do I?"
"mHmmm"
"Nezzie, will you do something for me?"
"What's that?" Benezia said
"Will you open a door for me in your mind?"
Benezia pinched her brow markings, "How do you mean?"
"Well, with non-asari we can just invade their mind even though we always politely ask and wait for an approval. I'm not saying they can't fight us off once we're in but entering is easy. With asari the older you get, the more control you gain of your mind and the harder it is for someone to invade. Invading to steal or to do harm against, just so you know it is a big no-no and highly frowned upon and punishable if charges are brought against you."
Benezia looked up at her mother and said, "Why do you want to invade my mind?"
Liara chuckled "I don't sweetie. I want to help you, and maybe invade was a harsh word. I should have said entering without waiting for approval. During and after the Reaper War, your father had terrible nightmares and post-traumatic stress. In the night I would enter his mind while he slept, and I would calm him down so he could sleep. Eventually, the issue went away and has yet to return. In the middle of the night, if you're having nightmares or trouble sleeping, I would like to enter your mind and help you sleep if you allow me to do so."
Benezia nodded, "I know you would never harm me, and I trust you one hundred percent.
"I would never harm you, especially your beautiful mind."
She giggled "Oh mom… stop. Mom?"
"Yes?" Liara replied
"Thank you for being who you are. For trying to do everything you could possibly do for us while we were trapped in there."
"You're my family… my loved ones… my children… I will always do everything I can for you. I love you."
Benezia squeezed her, "I love you."
"Will you do something else for me?" asked Liara
"What's that, mom?"
"Will you share your experience with me?"
"Mom… are you sure you want to?"
"I'm your mother. I'm here to help you work through the pain of this terrible experience. Share the burden with me, and I will help you work through it."
She nodded, "Ok, I'm ready when you are."
-/
Liara entered Benezia's mind. Once she was in, she looked around and noticed red stands that touched every part of her mind. She pinched her brow markings as she looked at it closely then noticed how chaotic her mind was compared to her own that was in pristine order.
(Nez, your mind is about as chaotic as your room!)
(Phhssttt it is not either. You should see Anna's room. Mine is clean compared to hers.)
Liara shook her head (How do you find anything in here? I've taught you better than this.)
Benezia grumbled (Oh, will you stop. It is typically, give me a break, will ya?)
Liara laughed. (Lighten up. I'm just giving you a hard time. What is this red static blotchy stuff covering most of everything?)
She shrugged (I don't know that's new. Blood moon gunk? I don't know. When the red aura came everything was disheveled, and I had no thoughts when using them… they just came out. You know how normally you tell yourself ok I'm going to use a barrier, and you see it, you reach for the knowledge, the power and then you do it? All happening in fractions of a millisecond.)
Liara nodded (Yes, I understand what you mean by that. Like you searched your mind for your barrier "book" you grabbed it, and you opened it to unleash its power.)
(Exactly. When the new powers came, there was none of that. No thoughts, no actions within the mind it just happened. There was no "book" to pull because it wasn't there because it was never learned, but it's there now. Even the second time I used the power, the process of my regular biotics wasn't the same. I don't understand.)
Liara pinched her brow markings (Hmmm. May I look around?)
Benezia nodded (Yes…)
Liara searched deep within her daughter's mind. Searching for a path of recognition. Searching for a path that made sense to her. Then something hit her, a familiarity and her whole body shuddered. The familiarity pulled at her, and she walked toward it. It wasn't her core, but it was something else, it was secured and lodged deep into her system. She reached out for it as if it was telling her to do so. When she got near it, it unlocked as if on cue. She stared into the darkness then saw what looked to be a mirror, and she was looking back upon herself. Liara pinched her brow markings at the sight; then she saw it change. She gasped when she saw her mother's face then she murmured "Mom…" but there was no response. The image cycled to her grandmother then cycled to another then another, and it just kept cycling.
She swiftly looked around when she heard faint voices then turned toward the mirror.
She mumbled to herself, "She didn't need a book because someone within the bloodline already knew it. In her dire need of help, she called upon the ancient bloodline to help her, and they did. But how? It can't be that easy… or can it? I didn't see how it came to her though…" Then she repeatedly heard someone saying mom then it got louder then she snapped out of it. What she heard was her daughter calling out to her. "MOM?"
Liara turned and called out (Yes! Sorry…)
(What happened? Where did you go?)
(Sorry… I found something, and I was just lost in my own mind trying to figure it out. I didn't mean to scare you. I get that way when something really catches my interest.)
(What did you find?)
(This golden lineage reference that the high priestess was talking about. It seems to be locked in one of the deepest parts of your mind. Usually when you go this deep it's for your core—) replied Liara.
Benezia pinched her brow markings (Core? What's that?)
(Ummm…. It's your… it's you… pretty much. Ummm it's where you go for reproduction… but… you'll learn about that in your higher learning courses. I mean I can tell you about it another—)
Benezia nodded (Yea… another time…)
Liara let out a breath (Ok, good. Any who this "lock box" was in the same vicinity as your core but just a tad bit deeper, it drew me to it. It was strange, and when I got to it, it just unlocked. Like I had a key, and this lineage mirror appeared. I definitely need to talk to the high priestess about this.)
(What about dad is his like this?) asked Benezia
(Hmm… I don't know I haven't melded with your dad since you all left on your trip.) She heard her daughter laugh, then say, (I'm surprised.)
Liara rolled her eyes (Oh, stop it and when would I have had the chance? It's only the evening since you left the mountain…I'm not that bad, am I?)
Benezia smirked (I'm not going to say you're a sex-crazed young asari, but you do crave dad pretty badly.)
(I can't help it and just wait until you reach maturity, and you get a taste for it. Your body and mind just want it sometimes… it's all you can think about… cravings or sexual needs… however you want to refer to them. Besides your father is a very sexy man and the things he can do—) said Liara
Benezia's eyes widen (MOM! Seriously? Don't make me throw up in my own mind.)
(Sorry… But no, I haven't melded with him. It would be a dangerous thing to do at the moment…especially with you in the room.)
Benezia scrunched her face (Ewww gross... please don't while I'm in here.)
Liara laughed. (Oh, you would never know. I can be as quiet as a mouse.)
(STOP IT!)
Liara laughed harder. (I'm kidding. I can't be that quiet.)
(Gawd… you're tormenting me in my own mind with sex and sex melds. We know we've heard you.)
Liara furrowed her forehead (Seriously? I thought we fixed that. Well… I guess you shouldn't linger downstairs after we go to bed.)
(I'm honestly gagging in my own mind right now. Since I'm already grossed out, can I ask you a question?)
Liara continued to laugh (Yes, anything.)
(The night of the party. What was with you and Auntie Miri?)
Liara stopped laughing (Ummm... Ughhhh… How do you mean?)
(Nevermind. I already know the answer to it.)
The moment her daughter said her sentence, she felt her resist her, and she knew exactly what she was asking.
(Nezzie…)
(I think I'm good for the night mom. Thanks.)
Liara felt her pull away from her. (Nezzie wait! If you want to know, then I'll tell you. Not just what you think you know.)
Benezia placed a hand on her hip (Fine. Go ahead.)
Liara took a breath (I didn't cheat on your father. He knows all about it. I keep nothing from your dad, we have no secrets, and we discussed it before it even a young asari like I said, I get these cravings, and he was gone for several helped me through the physical ones, but he couldn't with the mental ones. The night of the party we had a lot to drink, and well I had some needs. When I was talking to your dad, he talked about venturing outside our relationship. We talked about Miranda and Alex because that's what they've discussed about us—)
(Wait… What? You've had sex with Auntie Miri!)
Liara eyes widen as her mouth dropped open (Ummm…is that not what you were just asking me?)
(NO! Well… sort of but not really… I mean. MOM!)
(Oooh… well... now you know.)
Benezia scrunched her face (So, do you all just have orgies? I'm kind of grossed out right now mom.)
Liara shook her head (No, we don't have orgies! I'm the only one that's ventured outside…well…just her and I.)
(Mom, I honestly don't even know what to say. I had a very tiny assumption so did Mili and Anna when you two disappeared for forty-five minutes then both came out of your room one after another. The whispering and the looks you two give each other lately makes sense now. I mean, what the hell, mom? We thought you and dad were possessive over each other, apparently not.) said Benezia
(What? We've been married for twenty-eight years Benezia. I love your father very deeply, and he has my heart, my body, my soul, and everything else I could possibly give him. I am very possessive over your father, and I don't want to share him with anyone… not even Miranda to be very honest but will because that was the deal we made.)
(So… none of this love for dad comes across when you're with Auntie Miri?) asked Benezia
Liara let out a breath (Nezzie it's complicated. I love Miranda she's been like a sister to me— wait that's a bad analogy. She's my best friend, and I love her. That's all I can say. She will never replace your father. The sex is just something we've done a few times. It was experimental and something we both happened to enjoy between each other. As an asari I'm constantly learning as I get older. I've learned that if you have an unbreakable bond with your bondmate then nothing will deter you from them, but communication is key. So, when I say I keep nothing from your dad, that means absolutely nothing. My entire mind is open to him one hundred percent, and he is to me one hundred percent. Your father and I have a special link to where we're in each other's minds constantly. After several days without a sexual meld, our link begins to fade until it dissipates then it reconnects after a sexual meld. When we have our link, we see everything constantly. Everything that rolls into his head I can see and the same goes for him with me.)
Benezia scrunched her face (Damn mom, how can you live like that. Him constantly in your mind?)
She shrugged (It's part of me now and being without it is more of a bothersome than with it. Speaking of that… you may come across the same dilemma.)
(What do you mean?)
(Well… our link was formed when we truly opened ourselves to each other one hundred percent. Plus, he has these things called nanites within him.)
(Nanites? What does this have to do with me?) she said
(Well… we're not sure what's going to happen to you or how they're going to affect you. When your dad's blood dropped into your wound, the nanites made it into your body.)
(What does that mean though?)
(When Miranda fixed your dad after the first death incident, they used several synthetic parts and these biomolecular nanites to repair all the problems internally. They weren't sure exactly what all the nanites could do because it's different for each species and it's still a work in progress. These nanites give him more strength; he heals faster and other things. The synthetic parts and the nanites have given your dad a life span four times that of a normal human.)
Benezia's mouth dropped open (Gawd mom, please tell me I'm not going to live for four millennia.)
(I hope not but we don't know. We've sent a vial of your blood to Auntie Ori and Auntie Katie to run some tests. I don't know if the nanites are trapping the blood moon powers within you or if that's just the aftermath of it. I think if anything you may live up to your second millennia but not four. I steered way off track of what I'm supposed to be doing here. We've literally just been talking within a meld.) said Liara
(I just want to say this really quick. I was upset for a moment when you told me about you being with Auntie Miri. It's a shocker, but I know you love our dad very deeply, it shows every day you're with him. Your adults and as you've said before what you do within your bedroom is your business and it's certainly none of mine. You didn't have to tell me what happened, but you did because you trusted me to be understanding and to be an adult about it…even though I am not an adult. I just wanted to tell you I'm not mad or upset and that I understand that your business is your business.)
Liara smiled (Thank you. I want to be able to be openly honest with all of you if you ask me something. You came to me and wanted to know. Therefore, I told you even though it wasn't something you wanted to hear.) She paused for a moment then continued (Show me your event then I'll go.)
Benezia smiled as she nodded then opened her past event to her mother and when she was done, they exited from their meld.