NINETEEN

Liara watched covertly from a solitary corner of the Normandy's MESS area while her father spoke animatedly with Rear Admiral Shepard. She wasn't sure why watching Aethyta flirt with people bothered her so much. Asari lived such long life spans that multiple partners were common and sometime necessary and asari daughters did not usually have difficulties accepting surrogate parents. Most were a couple of centuries old before their mothers chose to mate again.

Perhaps it was because she'd missed the matriarch's presence as a child, or because Benezia had refused to discuss her partner, causing the accumulation of unresolved abandonment issues. Possibly she was just resistant to the idea of so many of her close acquaintances being targeted.

Whatever the reason, she knew that she would do something to derail her father from her current course if she felt that events were heading in an uncomfortable direction. She really did hope though that Aethyta was just being her usual over-friendly self and/or deliberately trying to goad the Shadow Broker.

Her vigil was interrupted when a familiar suited figure made a tipsy line across the room to come and stand with her.

"Liaara," the quarian sing-songed as she leant slightly against a nearby wall. "You're doing that thing you do when you're stuck in a room with a large crowd. I think Shepard called it 'people watching'."

The asari smiled; not at all offended that her friend was calling her a loner. "I do like the company. In my line of work, I have to spend too much time alone. However, I grew up spending most of my time either playing or working alone, or with just my mother. I've never been very socially adept." As she finished speaking, she felt two arms wrap themselves around her waist and jumped slightly at the unexpected contact.

"You were adorable when we first met; stumbling over your words and apologising when you blew things up with your biotics," the commander reminded her.

Liara blushed but took the compliment well for a change. Ever since they'd discussed the metamorphosis her character had undergone during the time of Jane's death, she had actually felt some of her old self resurfacing. "And now?" She prompted expectantly.

Shepard smirked into her neck. "You're a sexy powerhouse."

"Flatterer," she accused her partner as she turned slightly to receive a gentle greeting kiss.

"I try," Shepard grinned before turning to face the room. "So, what are we doing over here in the corner?"

Tali hiccoughed, "People watching."

"Specifically, our parents," Liara informed the commander with her best disapproving tone.

Shepard followed Liara's line of sight and tensed as her gaze fell on the admiral and the matriarch in close proximity to each other as they chatted and laughed amicably. "I really hope they're just swapping embarrassing stories about us," she commented as she continued to watch the interaction for a few more seconds. "Not that your dad is grotesque or anything," she hastened to add. "But I don't want to come across her later swapping saliva with my mom. There are some things that can't be unseen."

Liara pulled her eyes away from the scene and tried to focus her attention elsewhere. "Normally asari don't worry much about who their parents copulate with; we're genetically predisposed to accept a variety of partners for ourselves and our kin, but in this instance I'd have to agree with you."

Shepard tried to relax and leant her head against the asari's shoulder. She loved embracing her partner like this; it gave her chance to wrap her arms around Liara's stomach and enjoy the feeling of holding her family in her arms. "Speaking of couples, where's Garrus lurking tonight?"

The quarian jumped slightly at being addressed again and began wringing her hands around the glass she still held in her hands. "Well, we've both been asked by our governments to aid with leading the rebuilding and the organisation of refugees. Rannoch has a two year plan toward sustainable stability and Palaven is looking at three or four. The geth are going to make a huge difference for us, plus the damage we sustained doesn't come close to the destruction the turians experienced." Tali held her breath momentarily. "I'm an admiral now; I can't just abandon my people while were still finding our feet again."

"And it's not in a turian's nature to shirk their duty either," Liara added sympathetically.

"So why aren't you both making the most of your last night together?" Shepard wondered aloud, causing her suited friend to shrug.

"I assumed we would be, but he's hardly spoken to me all day."

Shepard rolled her eyes. Men! She thought to herself. "Where is he?"

"I believe he was swapping battle stories with Wrex in the forward battery," Liara informed her suddenly irritated lover.

Tali nodded. "That's where I left him... Bosh'tet," she whispered, though the insult was spoken more through hurt than anger.

The commander kissed her lover's crest before releasing her. "We'll see about this," she muttered darkly as she strode in the direction of her treasured comrade's 'man-cave'.

While Shepard was busy tearing Garrus a new one, her fellow SpecTRe was in need of her own relationship advice.

In the lounge she was stood at the bar with Edi, specialist Traynor and engineer Daniels, half participating in their conversation as she watched James play poker with Ken, Adams, Joker and a few other crew members whose names she'd not had chance to learn during the war and was too preoccupied to bother discovering them now.

Ash had had a crush on the fun loving lieutenant since their first mission together on Mars. Although, if pressed, she would admit to having eye-balled him more than a few times at Vacouver before the reapers first attacked. During the war they'd flirted a little but were both too focussed on the war to take it any further. Then they'd spent shore-leave at Shepard's inherited apartment and Major Williams had begun to realise just how much her crush had grown.

Now she had a dilemma on her hands. They'd discussed their mutual attraction and dedication to duty, talking in circles for a while but never reaching any sort of resolution. Ashley was set to take over command of the Normandy and James was stuck between wanting his own command (no matter how much he'd teased Shepard that it made her soft), and wanting to stay aboard the most famous ship in the galaxy knowing that she was likely to see the best action.

There was no way though that Ashley would let herself become romantically involved with a member of her crew. Shepard had gotten away with it because Liara had never been a part of the Alliance, and they'd had bigger concerns with chasing down Saren and trying to save the galaxy. With the war now over , the Alliance would begin tightening those reigns again and Major Williams knew that she was expected to be a role model to those service men and women, and officers who served under her.

If there was to be any talk of a relationship with the , he would have to be stationed aboard another ship. Ash was beginning to understand how her parents must have felt every time they knew they were going to be separated for weeks or months at a time. She shook her head to clear her cyclical thoughts and turned to listen to the conversation nearby.

"Ok, so Edi isn't playing because she can't not count cards, which means everyone forfeits when she's around; I'm not playing because I'd really much rather play chess; why aren't you in there taking all their money Gabs? I thought you were pretty good at the game."

Daniels shrugged like it was no big deal and glanced over at Donnelley for a second. "Ken and I decided to take it in turns. Ever since I agreed to play strip-poker with him one night, he can't finish a game with me there," she rolled her eyes but there was a hint of pride in her tone.

Sam gave the engineer a quick once-over before taking an extra large swig of her drink. "I can see how that would be distracting."

Gabriella tutted and poked Traynor's arm. "You need a girlfriend ASaP. Your mouth is going to get you in trouble."

Sam wiggled her eyebrows comically. "It usually gets me out of trouble," she winked as Ashley choked on her beer.

Edi cocked her head to one side as she observed their interaction. "I assume by your heightened colour and Major Williams' reaction that you are alluding to a sexual act that employs one's mouth. If that is the case, I concur with engineer Daniels' comment; you are in need of female companionship."

Ashley and Gabby chuckled as Samantha's cheeks darkened. At least this conversation wasn't as mortifying as the interrogation she'd come under at Shepard's apartment over her appreciation of Edi's voice. Though she didn't like the sudden spark of mischief in the engineer's eyes.

"I'd have thought that the woman who tried to seduce the Commander in her own shower would have no difficulty hitting on women," Daniels grinned behind her glass as Williams actually spat out her drink this time and Traynor sank her head onto the bar.

"You did what!?" Ashley hissed, outraged at the lack of professionalism.

Gabby's evil smirk changed to worry and Sam straightened awkwardly. They shared a look with the engineer's eyes seeming to say, 'sorry, I didn't know she'd react like this'.

Ashley felt the immediate change in the atmosphere and tried to temper her reaction. "What about Liara?" she inquired, wondering just how callous the specialist was.

Sam held her hands up defensively. "I had no idea they were together," she said quickly. "Sure, there were rumours, but they never acted like there was anything going on. I assumed whatever they had had ended long ago."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "At least the Commander managed some level of professionalism. Did it not occur to you that you were breaking regs?"

The anger had left the major's voice which let the other two humans relax a little. "I know there are guidelines around fraternisation, but it's never come up as an issue before. In the lab it was like a regular soap-opera but no one ever reprimanded us for it."

"Figures," the major huffed with another eye-roll. "That's not how things work on a ship."

Gabby cleared her throat. "With respect ma'am, that often depends on the CO." Her look shifted to Ken and back. "Shepard overlooked most of the relationships on board. She stepped in occasionally to settle arguments and reminded crewmen of their duties, but there was never much need; the crew appreciated being trusted to sort out their own affairs. Pardon the pun."

"Shepard encouraged many members of the crew to 'take a chance on love'," Edi added to the conversation. "As I became more aware of my own preference and developed relationships with people I often experienced confusion. Especially in reference to Jeff. The Commander allowed me and Jeff the opportunity to explore a romantic affiliation. It has helped me to understand the motivations of organics and to see logic in fighting for more than just survival."

Ashley tried not to react to the notion of the synthetic being encouraged to pursue romance. She wasn't convinced that Edi could feel anything akin to love, but she was aware that Shepard had very different views when it came to AIs and didn't want to openly dismiss those beliefs. Jane was very open-minded with other people's personal beliefs and was always ready to at least listen to other opinions.

The direction of their conversation brought her back to her feelings for James. She took a moment to try and imagine how a relationship would work mixed with their careers but immediately shook her head. Clandestine affairs and secret meetings might work for other Alliance officers, but she was a Williams and prided herself in following protocol as strictly as possible. Still, the engineer and specialist's comments had made enough of an impact that she was willing to consider a certain amount of flexibility for her crew.

"I guess as long as there's no harm done, it doesn't really matter now," she conceded eventually.

With the matter mostly settled the four of them relaxed back into amicable conversation. By the time the poker game was finished and the players had joined them at the bar, all except Ashley had completely forgotten about it.

She stood staring at the dark secluded space in a semi-trance. It felt like a lifetime had passed since she'd been sprung from cryo-stasis on Purgatory, yet if she closed her eyes she could feel the fear and uncertainty that had filled her every thought at the time.

Not that she'd recognised it as fear back then. She'd assumed that her hyper-vigilance was part of being a bad-ass killer; always on the alert for a fight. Seeing Shepard in battle had slowly dissuaded her of that opinion though.

The commander could be calm and in control and still be deadly. The only time she'd seen Shepard lose control had been while they were after the former Shadow Broker and she'd been afraid for the asari's life.

It was clearer to Jack now that fear had always been a huge driving force for her life; constantly being on the run; not letting anyone past her hard exterior; attacking any hint of betrayal with deadly force. Many times she'd wanted to trust the people around her but hadn't been able to let go. That was probably a blessing in disguise considering the kinds of people she'd associated with, but wasn't really relevant now.

The extreme reaction she'd had towards Miranda had taught her a lot about those deeply hidden fears. Even as she'd begun to open up more to the other biotic, in some dark corner of her mind, she'd held onto the belief that she was going to get screwed over again.

In the end she'd nearly screwed herself over.

Miranda had returned to her despite the odds stacked against them and was more relaxed than ever since her memory had returned. She had patience that Jack appreciated even as it annoyed her when she felt like she was losing her own mind. Their recent visits to the orphanage and the encouragement she felt from her lover in regards to Penny had surprised the ex-criminal. Especially as she'd been particularly acerbic towards Miranda for days after dropping the kids off.

Jack wasn't quite sure what had possessed her to venture down to this lonely place again but she welcomed the reminder of how much she had to live for now.

A soft clicking of heels on the stairs brought a sly smile to her face. "I figured you'd come looking for me down here eventually." She turned to raise an eyebrow at the new arrival and crossed her arms over her chest as she leant against a support beam.

Miranda swayed seductively as she closed the distance between them. "After the two minutes it took me to realise you were missing, I figured I'd give you some time to yourself before seeing if you wanted any company," she punctuated the end of her not so subtle suggestion by stroking a finger along Jack's upper arm, making the other biotic shiver.

Jack took her time admiring the figure in front of her. Miranda had foregone her usual attire for an equally tight cocktail dress that had many crew members salivating the moment she'd stepped onto the Normandy. "Are you sure you don't want to strut your stuff up there and show off that killer dress?" She licked her lips and pulled the other woman closer, her actions contradicting her words. "Would be a damned shame to waste it."

The blue-eyed biotic fell slowly into Jack's arms, leaning down from the slightly elevated height her shoes afforded her, she initiated a series of small kisses that quickly became more intense and forceful. "I didn't wear it for them," she whispered breathlessly.

She allowed her lover to reverse their positions and lift her onto a conveniently situated crate. The cot had been removed by Alliance retrofitters but both women were determined not to let that stop them from having their fun.

Shepard was in full commander mode as she stepped into the forward battery and scanned her immediate surroundings for her turian friend. The top of Wrex's hump and Garrus' low even tone clued her in and set her direction left. She pulled the krogan aside, much to his surprise and amusement, and crossed her arms over her chest as she faced off against Archangel.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded in her most disapproving tone.

Garrus appeared taken aback but within seconds his expression cleared. "I'll tell you the rest of the story later, Wrex," he told the krogan, who looked at him with what might have been sympathy.

"Yeah, yeah. If the Commander hasn't crushed you into nutrient paste by then, you'd better." He chuckled as he lumbered past the commander and out the door.

Garrus turned to look at the human once they were alone. "Shepard, " he acknowledged finally. "I know why you're here."

The commander uncrossed her arms and placed them on her hips instead. "Good, so I don't have to waste my time telling you what a douche you're being."

His expression demonstrated confusion over the unfamiliar term. "I don't know what that is but judging by your posture I don't think I'd agree." He sighed. "We both need a clean break; it's better for her if she doesn't have to see me; better for her to move on."

The obvious regret in his tone softened Shepard's ire a little but she still wasn't satisfied. "You really don't know women very well, do you? I thought the display you put on while chatting up that woman on the Citadel was a one off." She huffed at his stubborn look and tried to relax. He was taking the separation as poorly as Tali but had a different way of dealing with it. "Garrus, I get that you're trying to be chivalrous but you're going about it the wrong way."

"There's not much point in dragging it out," he argued. "I don't want to give her false hope."

"And you want her to be happy, even if that means pushing her away and into someone else's arms," Shepard finished for him, taking note of his slight nod. "I understand but she doesn't need saving from you, Garrus. Moving on should be her choice and is something she'll do in her own time, when she's ready. Speaking as a woman who's had her share of heartbreak; leaving her with bitter memories of the last time you were together is not something you want to do to her."

He took some time to think through the commander's advice. It wasn't just for Tali's sake that he'd decided that they needed to cut ties. He thought he needed to go 'cold bird' too, or whatever that human saying was. Though the thought of spending one more night with Tali was appealing. "You really think I should go to her?" He asked, sounding more hopeful.

Shepard smiled and punched his shoulders lightly. "I think you'd be an idiot not to."

They continued to chat for a few minutes, both promising to keep in contact and Garrus assured his friend that he would come to Thessia when the Shepard/T'Soni household were being joined by its newest member.

The rest of the evening passed by with few incidents. Garrus and Tali left early, both looking happier with the turian's arms around the quarian's waist. Shortly after, Jack and Miranda made a sudden reappearance. Each biotic strolled through the crew deck with their usual confidence and unassuming air, but the way they kept throwing heated glances at one another told Shepard that their brief disappearance involved something she didn't want to investigate further.

The night ended with Jane clearing her friends out in a few hands of poker and, being somewhat tipsy, had not held back with her teasing. It felt good to go out with a bang, or it would have done if she hadn't then lost most of her winnings to one of the maintenance crew whose pretty features and quiet manners had caused the commander to dismiss her as a threat.

As Hackett had allowed them possession of the Normandy for 24 hours, Liara and Shepard retired to the captain's cabin shortly before 3am. Neither of them bothered folding their clothes; both using the couch as a clothes horse as they prepared for bed.

As Liara snuggled back into her, Jane smiled and leaned forward to kiss her partner's crest. While the asari drifted off to sleep, Shepard recalled that first night together before reaching Ilos. Despite their mutual inexperience, Liara's with physical intimacy and Jane's with asari lovers, they had seemed to blend together naturally. That night she had known that the young archaeologist was her 'one' and she'd been given the opportunity to experience life with this wonderful creature beside her.

Jane had tried again and again to figure out the how and why to her survival of the catalyst. Something told her that one day she would figure it out and she just hoped that when she did she would be able to handle the consequences.

Finally feeling the tug of her eyelids pulling her into sleep, Commander Shepard whispered one more 'I love you' to her lover's blissfully unconscious form and began to fall into pleasant visions of the journey they were to embark on the next day and the future they intended to build together.