So, as I was editing I came across this chapter that I evidently forgot to post. Chronologically, it takes place between chapter's three and four.

Enjoy!

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Liara eyed the Mako askance; "Shepard, I'm not sure I like this idea. At all."

Shepard grinned back at her, pulling the passenger door open to gesture invitingly, "All I'm asking is that you give it a chance, Liara; I promise you, no harm will come to either of us."

Liara pursed her lips, glancing from Shepard to the Mako and back again, "I wouldn't mind so much if you would let me be the one to drive."

Shepard pouted playfully, "Liara, really. This is half the fun; parking is an old earth tradition and as the more knowledgeable one I really think I should be the one to drive. Besides, you've never loved the old boy like I do."

"It's sentient now? I like this idea even less." Despite her words, Liara edged cautiously toward the door. "If you get us killed, I will find you in the afterlife and enact a swift and terrible vengeance, Shepard."

Shepard ducked in to catch her eyes, searching them for a genuine sign of fear; she caught an edge of nervousness there, but suspected it was more for the new experience than any sense that she would be hurt.

Shepard reached out to rest a comforting hand on the slight bump of Liara's belly. Her voice lowered, suddenly becoming earnest, "I wouldn't do anything to endanger you or the baby. You know that, right?"

Liara reached out to brush a hand across her face, "I know." She leaned forward to press a quick peck to Shepard's lips and then settled back with a smile, "I just wanted to be sure you knew the stakes."

Shepard grinned again, slamming the door with a little too much enthusiasm as she practically skipped to the driver's side. Liara snorted and shook her head despairingly, she hadn't had the heart to say no when Shepard suggested this morning that they take a few hours off for a bit of cruising. Honestly she had never thought to see the inside of this horrid vehicle again, but she was intrigued by Shepard's description of the old human tradition, especially in light of what they had been up to in that chair… if Shepard said this would be something similar, well then it certainly couldn't be all that bad, insane stunts aside.

Liara risked a glance at Jane from under the cover of her lashes, her eyes were beaming with happiness, and a grin spread across her face when the engine fired up. Liara shut her eyes and prayed quietly that Shepard would remember this was neither a race nor an emergency.

The back hatch of the ship opened and Shepard accelerated, flaring the propulsion system so there landing was, if not smooth then at least not terribly bumpy. She turned to smile at Liara, "That wasn't so bad, right?"

"Not yet," Liara said grimly; Shepard chuckled, flooring the gas as Liara felt her fingers clench unconsciously in the fabric of her pants. She jumped when Shepard reached over to take her hand in hers, squeezing gently, "You're safe with me; believe it or not, I have training. Top of my class every time."

"SHEPARD! Please keep BOTH your hands on the wheel!" There was an edge to the tone not even the fearless Commander Shepard dared disregard, she clamped her hands obediently to the wheel as she turned her head slightly to take in her partner, "You look a little piqued, would you rather turn back?" Shepard decelerated slightly and Liara sighed with relief, but tensed up again when she noticed her lover's eyes on her.

"Shepard, it is customary to keep your eyes on the terrain when driving."

Shepard forced her eyes forward once again, that infuriating smile playing across her lips.

"Need I remind you that there is a child aboard?"

"I'm sure she doesn't mind; she's going to be her daddy's little girl."

Liara groaned at the thought, "Please, goddess. Let it not be so."

"Don't you like me?" Shepard teased.

"I love you, in fact; but I'm not sure even I could keep up with two of you."

Shepard laughed delightedly, spinning the wheel dramatically to angle the wheels up the incline of a sharp hill.

"Why are we climbing?" Liara's voice seemed to have gone up an octave; "It's customary to park over a lookout, you know, so we can look around."

"There's a perfectly serviceable path over there."

"That would be an insult to this fine machine, he's built for more."

"It. Shepard, I am calling that favor right now. Take the path."

"Oh. Very well, if you insist." Shepard chirped.

"I do. I insist." Liara rested a hand on her belly, taking comfort in the warmth there. From the corner of her eye Shepard caught the gesture.

"Are you feeling alright? Have I overdone it?"

Liara found herself smiling again, "You should stop worrying so much, I'm fine- we're fine."

Shepard nodded silently, taking the turn up the path, eyes studiously fixed on the road ahead and hands resting almost mathematically correct on the wheel.

"What excuse did you give for taking the Mako anyway?"

"I told Miranda the scanner had picked up a signal from the planet's surface."

"And what did you tell Joker?"

Shepard's ears turned an interesting shade of red, "I told him we wanted to go for a drive."

Liara groaned, "Shepard."

"It's not like he wouldn't have figured it out anyway. This is Joker we're talking about, I'll bet he has more than one vid in his files relating to this."

Liara's cheeks were turning an enchanting shade of violet, spreading down her neck and across her chest beneath her high-necked shirt. Shepard smiled, "It's better than telling him about the shore leave incident. I left that out."

"Small mercies." Liara muttered.

The Mako rolled to a stop and Shepard leaned back, a satisfied smirk gracing her lips, "Here we are, and all in one piece too."

"Indeed." Liara sniffed and Shepard laughed outright, stretching out slightly.

"It's worth it for the view, right?"

Liara looked out across the expanse of the planet, the terrain was dusty and barren and the vegetation was stunted and brown, but the colors of sunset were vivid and bright.

"Yes, it is." Her voice was hushed in the quiet, she turned to look and Shepard and saw that she was watching her instead, taking in her every gesture as though her very life depended on remembering the sight.

Shepard reached across to take her hand again, both content merely to enjoy the silence in each other's presence.

Predictably, Shepard was the first to break it, leaning across to capture Liara's lips with her own as her hand came up to cup the back of her head, fingers playing over her crest.

Liara sighed in contentment, pushing her tongue between Shepard's teeth to explore her mouth leisurely. Shepard pulled back, nipping at her lower lip, drawing it into her mouth to suck at the tender flesh.

She gasped in surprise as Shepard leaned forward to pull at the release of her seat so that she leaned backward, smiling uncertainly up at Shepard. "I'm not really certain how you expect this to work."

"Don't worry, I have an idea or two."

Shepard's nimble fingers made short work of her tunic's fastenings, peeling back the layers until she could see the light skin beneath. Liara's breasts had begun to grow with her pregnancy, and Shepard found them endlessly fascinating. She took a moment simply to commit every detail to memory; these quiet moments alone with her lover had become few and far between these past few months as various duties interfered with their time together, and when they were not busy it seemed everyone wanted to touch Liara or pull her aside to offer advice on the care and keeping of children. Shepard was a little jealous, unreasonably so she knew, but she regretted nearly every moment spent apart; what if the baby kicked and she wasn't there to feel it?

She dismissed her thoughts, they had this time here and now and she wasn't going to spend it worrying about the future.

Liara was blushing in earnest now, she reached up a hand to Shepard's face, trailing a finger down her jaw to her neck and over her collarbones. Shepard shivered slightly, "Not fair, that I should be the only one unclothed.

Shepard grinned devilishly, "I don't know, I rather like this." Liara opened her mouth to protest but cut off with a strangled gasp as Shepard bent down to take a sensitive nipple in her mouth, teeth skirting the edges as her tongue swirled around it. She sped up as she felt Liara's fingers clenching in her hair to draw her closer, her other hand brushing against Liara's crest in a maddeningly slow gesture.

Shepard pulled back and Liara arched against her demandingly, gasping as her peaked nipples brushed against the rough fabric of Shepard's shirt. She whined softly as Shepard trailed her mouth across the other, giving it the same treatment as its predecessor, her hands descending to brush lovingly along Liara's stomach, Liara's grip tightened reflexively and Shepard laughed against her skin, blowing cool air on the damp flesh. Liara's breath hissed between her teeth, her hips twitching as her toes curled.

"I read somewhere that it's possible to come simply by having your breasts stimulated, let's find out shall we?"

"What were you reading, Fornax?" Shepard thought she could hear a tinge of jealousy beneath the teasing tone.

"No, you know you're the only one that I would even look at twice."

Liara subsided, a wry smile playing about her lips. "You do say the nicest things."

"And I mean every word."

Liara pulled her back down for another kiss, biting the edge of her lips until she opened for her tongue, sweeping inside demandingly. Shepard smiled against her mouth, feeling a thrill run up her back at the possessive gesture. She moved down Liara's neck, nipping at the slight ridges down her crest, tracing her tongue in patterns over them and down the valley between her breasts, Liara bucked gently as she drew her nipple once more into her mouth, her thumb running circles around the neglected one.

Liara writhed, unaccustomed to this amount of sensitivity; it was as though she could feel every last bump on Shepard's rough tongue. She gasped in surprise as she felt Shepard undoing the clasp of her pants, slipping a finger beneath the band of her underwear to run along her seam.

"Hmm. I think my extracurricular reading may pay off yet." She maneuvered herself around the console to permit better access, laving Liara's over-sensitized flesh with a will, her index finger and thumb plucking and rolling the other until Liara sucked in a breath, her muscles going rigid. Her knees lifted slightly as she felt Shepard's finger dipping into her center to swirl the moisture about her nub, a pleasant tingling sensation running through her body.

"I think I might have to try that again sometime."

"Not right now."

Shepard had no further warning than a brief glow of biotics before she found herself pushed back, pinned in her seat.

"Liara, what are we doing?" She could hear the breathless excitement in her voice, the undertone of nervousness. Liara clambered over the console, pinning Shepard's hips beneath her own, knees on either side.

"You said once that I had but to ask and it would be done, but this time I'm not asking, Shepard."

Shepard shuddered as Liara pulled the shirt from her shoulders, one of the buttons popping off. "Careful, if the crew finds out-"

"Shepard?"

"Yes?"

"Be quiet."

"Yes ma'am."

Liara leaned forward to trail kisses down to her stomach, fingers tracing the outline of her muscles as they shifted and twitched; when Shepard reached for her, Liara pushed her hands back against the seat.

"Keep them there."

"Yes ma'am." Shepard blinked dazedly, while certainly welcome, this was not a turn of events she had expected at all. She shivered as she felt Liara tugging at her pants; "lift your hips". Shepard did so, twitching spasmodically when Liara ran her fingertips teasingly down her legs, scraping her nails lightly along the insides of her thighs to spread her lower lips.

She gasped in surprise as Liara plunged her tongue into her without any warning, reaching deeply before drawing back out to lap over her clit, spreading the moisture about her center. Shepard bucked against her, already panting and desperate. Liara's mischievous chuckle sent shivers down her spine.

The crackling of the comm made them both jump, Shepard pushing herself up despite Liara's glare.

"Shepard, come in. Are you there? Over."

Shepard reached out to mute it but Liara stayed her hand; "I want you to answer it."

"What? Liara-"

"Answer it." Liara punctuated the order with another lick, Shepard pressed down on the come, drawing in a breath to keep her voice steady. "Shepard, is there a problem?"

"Did you track the source of the signal?"

Shepard opened her mouth to respond when Liara nipped her clit lightly, "Ah! Um. Negative, Miranda. We're still looking."

"Are you alright, Shepard?"

"I'm FI- fine, Miranda."

Liara smirked up at her, slipping her fingers into her and twisting. Shepard fell back, catching a moan in the back of her throat. Liara pushed her legs farther apart, shoving her knees up to her chest before she returned to her work, licking as her fingers thrust in counterpoint.

Shepard growled when Miranda's voice came back over the comm. "I think you might be cutting out. Maybe you should head back, Shepard. Whatever it is, we'll send a squad out later to collect it."

Liara swirled her wetness about her clit, pushing three fingers in suddenly and shoving her palm against the sensitive nub. Shepard threw back her head, banging it roughly on the seat.
"Damn it, Miranda! Just give me a moment!" Shepard terminated the link quickly, panting and thrashing.

"That wasn't polite, Shepard. I'm not sure you deserve this." She began to withdraw and Shepard whined. "Please, Liara. I'm sorry."

"How sorry?"

"As sorry as you want me to be."

"I'm still not certain you deserve to be rewarded for that kind of conduct; whatever would it teach our children?" She ran a fingernail teasingly up her slit.

"I'll apologize as soon as I get back. Say we got cut off or something, please. Anything" Her breathing was becoming steadily more ragged and Liara delighted in watching a blush spread all over her body.

"Very well; first, beg me."

"Liara, I will beg any way you like."

"Ask me to let you come."

"Please, Please let me come."

"Let me come…?"

"Please let me come ma'am."

Liara pushed her fingers in to the second knuckle, bending to tongue her roughly. Shepard arched and shuddered, a panting gasp forcing itself from her chest as her lover finally complied.

Liara crawled up her body slowly, eyes still dark with arousal, "Secondly, I drive back."

"Agreed."