What Was Lost Chapter 3 - Downtime

What Was Lost

Chapter 3 - Downtime


Shepard woke up without a headache for the first time in weeks.  I guess those pills really do work!  I'll have to thank the doc.

She was just finishing her breakfast when Joker's voice sounded through the ship.  "Attention all hands, we have arrived in Citadel space and will be docking shortly."

She looked around at the crew in the mess hall.  Ever since the change in plans had been announced the previous night, the mood of the ship had improved immensely.  She had also announced extended shore leave for all hands for the next three days.  The whole crew was excited for some much needed downtime.

Shepard got dressed in casual clothes, choosing to leave her armor behind today.  Commander Shepard, first human Spectre could stay on the damn ship.  Today she would simply be Alexandra Shepard.  Today is for me.  I'm going to have some fun.

She went up to the command deck, ready to depart.  She gave Pressley a few instructions, then headed towards the airlock.

"Oh my god..."

Wrex, Garrus and Ashley were waiting for the airlock to clear.  Wrex's rumbling laugh echoed in the small space, and Garrus was struggling to contain a grin.

"Ash, what the hell are you wearing?"

"Shepard, Commander or not, I will hit you if you laugh."

"I'm not going to laugh.  Pink looks flattering on you, Ash."

"God damn it, I'm going to kill you for this, Wrex..."

*******

Garrus relaxed at his table in Flux.  He had helped the owner, Doran, with a few problems during his time in C-Sec, and Doran returned the favor by always making sure he got a good table when he stopped by.  It was nice to sit and relax.  He made a mental note to thank the commander for her idea of some R and R.

He sipped his drink, enjoying the flavor.  He'd have to apologize to her for the mess he'd made of the cargo bay one of these days.  He just hoped Shepard wouldn't ask why he was fighting with Kaiden.

Something at the entrance drew his attention.  It can't be...

It was!  Shepard was here.  I guess I'm not the only one who likes this place.  

He made up his mind.  She might have said they should split up and have fun on their own, but as long as they were both here...

He waved her over.  "Join me, Shepard, the table has a great view."

She took the seat across from him.  "Garrus, what are you doing here?"

"Having a drink, what does it look like?"  He laughed.  "Besides, I was here first, so shouldn't I be the one asking that?"

"You're right, sorry,"  She smiled at him.  "I just wanted a place that's not a dive or a contact meet or anything.  This seemed like the best, from what I could remember."  She looked at his drink.  "That looks good, what is it?"

"Ah, Shepard, I don't think you want this, dextro drink and all."

"Right, well, what would you recommend?"

They made small talk for a while more.  It's nice to see she's fun outside the ship too.  She really should get out more.  He looked out at the dance floor.  I wonder...

"How about it, Shepard, care for a dance?"

He couldn't believe it, the great commander Shepard got flustered!  "Garrus...  I'm not really a dancer..."

"Oh come on, Shepard, how bad can it be?"

"Fine, ONE dance, but don't say I didn't warn you..."

*******

"How bad can it be?"  Stupid turian, why did I listen to him?  I must have looked so foolish out there.  She blushed to herself.  Even looking silly on the dance floor hadn't stopped her staying out there for song after song.

Shepard sat down on a bench near one of the many fountains scattered around the area.  She had left Flux after a while, making excuses to Garrus about wanting to visit some other parts of the Citadel.  She needed time to think.

Is he interested in me?  Do I want him to be?

She sighed.  More complications.  For the past few weeks, her mind tended drift to Liara when idle.  She would find herself thinking about the asari's appealing blue skin, or wondering what it would feel like to caress her scalp tendrils.  Now...

Shepard shivered a bit, remembering the warmth of Garrus' arm across her back as he led her in dances.  Maybe she should have stayed for a few more songs...

I still need to talk to Kaiden, too.  He's been awfully clingy for a while now.  I like him, but only as a friend.  There's no spark there.

At least Liara and Tali had worked out whatever was bothering them.  Neither of them would tell her why they had been fighting so much, but now it was almost as if it had never happened.  The two women would talk and joke together.  In fact, ever since that vid night,  Liara had been spending more time out of her lab.  She'd join Shepard and Tali when they were chatting in the engineering deck, or sit with them for meals.

Shepard got up.  It was almost time.  She pulled out a small ticket that had been waiting for her when she arrived.  She walked to the taxi stand and hailed a cab.  Looking down at the ticket in her hand, she smiled.  It's nice to have good surprises too.

"Sincerely:  The Elcor Embassy extends you this front row seat to the new production 'Elcor Hamlet Live'.
Gratefully:  Thank you again for helping our diplomats."

The cab pulled up to the theatre.

*******

Liara looked at the front of the shop, trying to decide if she wanted to go inside.  Feeling Blue, the sign read, in bold letters against the silhouette of two asari caressing each other.  In smaller letters on the bottom of the sign, Enhancing Natural Beauty, Whether Maiden or Matriarch.  Several displays showed the new merchandise.

I'm just going to look, where's the harm?

She blushed, and ducked quickly in the door.  Inside, the racks were full of various intimate garments.  The store had a live attendant, she saw, not just a kiosk. The sales clerk, a light-purple colored asari, noticed her and walked over.

"Welcome to Feeling Blue, miss.  My name is Relana.  Is there something I can assist you with today?"

"Oh... I'm... uh... just looking."

Relana chuckled.  "First time in a store like this?"

Liara felt her cheeks getting redder.  "Am I that obvious?"

"It's okay, sweetie.  I take it you're looking for something to wear for a special someone?"

Liara looked away quickly.  This was more embarrassing than she had expected.  She was only here to look!

"That's a yes!  Why don't you tell me a little about them, and I'll help you pick something that will make their eyes pop."

"She... she's a human, and..."

*******

Tali strolled around the wards, a bit bored.  She had already picked up the latest volume of Fleet and Flotilla, as well as a few other new vids, and an upgrade for her omnitool.  Now, her shopping done, she was at a loss for what to do.  She still had a few hours before she needed to report back to the Normandy.

She decided to see if she could stock up on some good food before they left again.  The dextro-rations on the ship left a lot to be desired.  She headed down to the shopping level and started to browse the stores.

She almost didn't recognize Ashley when she bumped into her in one of the stores.  The chief was wearing a pink dress with flowers on it, and trying her best to stay hidden in the stacks.  "Ashley, what are you doing here?  And why are you wearing that?"

Ashley sighed.  "Hey Tali.  I guess you could say it's my own fault.  I got a bit greedy on a bet with Wrex, and well..."  She gestured down at the dress.  "I have to wear this abomination for the whole shore leave."

The chief walked with her while she went to the counter to complete her order.  "Anyway, I was just buying some personal supplies before we head out again.  Standard alliance rations might have all the nutrients you need, but they taste horrid.  What about you?"

"Pretty much the same thing.  I've already done the other shopping I needed to, and I figured I might as well get some good food before I have to head back to the Normandy.  The current dextro-rations suck."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"I'm not really sure.  I still have a couple hours left."  She frowned.  "Hey Ash, can I ask you for some advice?"

"Sure, what's up, Tali?"

"Well, I was wondering... say you like another human... how would I... I mean... how do you let them know?   Do you just say it, or...?"

Ashley laughed and gave her a warm smile.  "Whoa, slow down a bit there, Tali.  You're starting to babble."  She led the young quarian over to a bench, and sat down on it.  She shot Tali a sly look.  "You're talking about Shepard, I take it?"

"I was just speaking hypothetically!  There's this vid series I watch, and..."

Ashley giggled a bit at Tali's embarrassment, and made a calming motion to her.  "Don't worry, I won't tell her anything."  Her expression sobered.  "Well, everyone is different, but I'll help you as best I can.  Why don't you tell me a bit more about it?"

"Keelah, this is so awkward..."

*******

Shepard yawned as she walked out of the theatre and rubbed her neck.  "An unforgettable fourteen hour experience!"  she read on one of the signs out in front of the building.  Unforgettable is the right word for it...

She checked the time on her omnitool.  She was already a few hours later than she had expected to be.  She looked around and picked one of the restaurants nearby.  The smells coming from it were tempting, and the listed breakfast menu looked really good.

After a nice breakfast, she wandered towards the taxi stand.  As she drew close, she noticed a distinctive pink dress.  And next to Ashley, Tali was standing there, holding a large bag.  They were chatting about something.  It's nice to see Ash opening up to the crew.

She waved and walked over.  "Hey there, you two!  Headed back to the ship?"

Tali glanced her way, then quickly looked down.  Ashley, who had been watching the quarian, just smirked at her.  "Sure are, skipper."

The cab pulled up, and the three of them got in.  Ashley took the rear bench, leaving Tali in the front with Shepard.  The quarian was unusually quiet during the ride.  She would look over at Shepard, then back down at her hands.

"Tali, is something wrong?   Did something happen on your leave?"

Is she blushing?  "No, Shepard, I'm just a bit tired, that's all."  The quarian reassured her quickly.  From the back seat, Ashley snickered.

"What about you, commander, anything interesting happen to you on your leave?"  Ashley asked her.

"Um..."  Shepard tried not to think about dancing with a certain turian.  "I saw that new Elcor Hamlet play.  I'm not sure if interesting would be the right word."

"I heard it was pretty good, skipper."

"Oh, it was, Ash.  But it's also fourteen bloody hours long..."  She shifted a bit in her seat.  "I like Shakespeare, but come on."

*******

Tali sat at her post in engineering.  With the Normandy still docked at the Citadel, there wasn't much for her to do.  A small book sat on the workstation desk in front of her.  Ashley had brought the book to her when they got back to the ship.  It belonged to Shepard, she had explained, and was one of her favorite books.

She looked around.  Aside from Adams, the rest of the engineering team was taking advantage of shore leave.  Even with out them, the two of them had already taken care of everything for the day, unless new problems cropped up.

Adams glanced over at her.  "You can go ahead and call it, Tali.  I don't think we're going to have any more to do today.  No reason for both of us to be down here, bored."

"Thanks, Adams."

She picked up the book and headed to the mess on the deck above.  It was quieter than usual, so she had a seat by herself.  Thanks to her shopping the other day, the food on the dextro trays was actually good for once.

Tali finished her meal, and leaned back in the chair, activating the visual translator program on her suit.  She opened the book to the title page.  "The Princess Bride..."

*******

Liara was sitting crosslegged on her bed, staring at the bag from Forever Blue like it was a poisonous animal.  She had nearly opened it half a dozen times now, but just couldn't bring herself to do it.

You might as well, you paid for it already.

She sighed.  Not today.

She got up and put the small bag in the locker of her cabin.  Then, putting on her lab outfit, she headed to the elevator.  On the way, she saw Tali sitting in the mess, reading a book.  She debated going over to her, but, while things between them had improved, they still occaisionally had uncomfortable moments.  She continued past the quarian, stepping quietly so she didn't disturb her.

Liara leaned back against the wall of the elevator.  She kissed Shepard!  No matter how many times she tried to forget it, the scene of Tali in the lab room back on Noveria kept replaying itself in her mind.

She got off on the next floor and headed to the medbay.  The lights were on, and a figure was sitting at the desk.  She hit the door and walked in.  "Good evening Doct--  oh, Shepard!  What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Liara.  Just picking up the pills for my biotics."  Shepard held up a small pill bottle.  "The doc left them for me."

"They're keeping your biotic troubles under control?"

Shepard nodded to her, "They sure are.  Haven't had a surge in days.  Anyway, I'll get out of your way here.  I was just grabbing these before bed."  The commander got up and started towards the door Liara had just entered.

She kissed Shepard!

"Shepard, wait..."  Liara reached out, grabbing the human's arm and stopping her in her tracks.  They stood there looking at each other, neither moving.

Minutes passed.

Liara swallowed nervously, gathering her courage, and stepped closer to the commander.  Shepard was just standing there, looking at her, her green eyes wide as Liara closed the distance between them.

Liara reached out with her other hand, putting it on the human's waist.  She pulled her in close to her, feeling the warmth of the commander's body.  Shepard's face was flushed and her breathing shallow.

She slid her hand up the commander's arm, tangling her fingers in the human's hair as she cupped the back of her head.  She tilted her own head, leaning in to Shepard.

Their lips met.  Shepard's eyes had closed, and Liara felt a warm arm circling her own waist.  She let the commander pull their bodies together.

Shepard's tongue played against her lips, gently pressing against them, seeking entry.  She parted her lips slightly, and Shepard took advantage, her questing tongue slipping in Liara's mouth.

By the Goddess!

Shepard was moaning softly, her body shifting slightly as she hugged it to Liara's.  Her fingers tightened in the human's hair, and she let out a small moan of her own.  She could feel Shepard's other hand on her hip.

She slid her own hand up under the commander's shirt, feeling her back.  The human's skin was hot to the touch, and very smooth.  

I need more..

Liara let her hand wander slowly up the commander's back, stopping when she hit a thin band of cloth.  Her fingertips drifted towards the clasp of the bra...

Shepard shivered for a moment, then broke the kiss.  She opened her eyes and took a half step back, her eyes locked on Liara's.

"Liara..."  Shepard's voice came out barely above a whisper.  Liara waited a little bit, but the commander didn't say anything more.

"Shepard..."  Liara, too, found herself at a loss for words.  She reached out and took one of the commander's hands.  She gently raised it to her lips, and kissed it softly before letting go.  "Good night, Shepard."

Shepard turned, holding the hand Liara had kissed with her other one, and paused at the door.  "Good night, Liara."  She said quietly.  She stepped out the door.

Liara collapsed in the chair, touching her lips, a dazed expression on her face.

*Next Chapter:  The Normandy sets course to Feros, Shepard and Liara each deal with their little encounter in their own ways.*