Title: Dark Effect 1 - chapter 6
Author: written and translated by Servala, corrected by InuDran
Game: Mass Effect
characters: Liara T´Soni, Aria T´Loak, Jane Shepard, Tali´Zorah
Disclaimer: Mass Effect and its assets belong to Electronic Arts and BioWare.
No copyright infringement intended.

a mirror universe FanFiction based upon the Mass Effect Universe

***

Liara hurriedly pulled on her science uniform, reviewed the make-up and eye color, and closed her uncomfortable boots. Everything in her body hurt, but remembering the last night it was definitely worth it. She thought back to those satisfying hours she spent with Aria and the traces on her back and neck would be remembered by her for a while.

Liara was only back for two hours on the Normandy and actually feel asleep. Now she stumbled awkwardly in her boots into the meeting room and had to hold on the suit Quarian who slipped with her to the ground. "Hey," Tali snapped at her and Liara answered with an innocent smile.

"Now that Dr. T'Soni has found us," Shepard began slowly, watching the Asari, who went over to her seat and away from Tali. "What did you find out?" Only when there was silence, Liara recognized that Shepard asked her something and remembered that was her excuse for not to have spend time with Shepard on the Citadel, had been research. "Feros", she blurted out, when she remembered that she had sent there some Geth, to examine what Saren was doing there "We need to go to Feros." Shepard nodded and gave the coordinates to Joker.
"Well, if there is nothing more?" Shepard looked around, but no one spoke up. Liara stifled a yawn as she felt the eyes of Quarian on her.

"Are you okay Liara?" The Asari smiled and nodded. "Yes, I had to dig through a lot of stuff." She felt a little uncomfortable under Talis stare. It was hard to tell where Quarians looked at exactly, but she felt the burn of her wounds on her neck. Some scratches were higher than the collar of her uniform and by her fall, some of the long and deep wounds on her back had broken up and she could feel the blood seeping into her clothes. Aria had such wonderfully sharp fingernails and Liara loved this pain and had begged for it last night.

She stood up and walked past Tali who put a hand on her shoulder. "You look tired, maybe you should lie down." Tali's head was slightly askew and she patted her on the back. Liara did not allow herself to flinch, but when she was in her small lab; she locked the door, braced herself with her hands at the desk and allowed a deep moan. She would cook the Quarian alive in her armor.
She looked up as the door opened to the infirmary and quickly sat in her chair. Surely Shepard was looking for her.

She wondered if it was it all really worth it, but the Commander was already standing behind her. She got up, turned around and looked at Shepard. "I have the feeling that you want to ask me something?" Shepard looked at her anxiously. "I just wanted to check on you, you look tired Liara. You seem to work too much and need to rest. "Shepard looked around the small laboratory. "Where are you sleeping anyway?" Liara chuckled about Shepard's confusion.

She could sleep in the crew quarters, but did not like the company. "I can fold the chair back," she gave a smile in reply. "I was alone for such a long time; I do not sleep well in the company of others."

Shepard's eyes widened. She looked to the chair and then back to the Asari, who was about her size. "You could sleep with me," she burst out. "Shepard?" The commander ran a hand through her black hair. "I mean, we could share my bed." She paused and took a deep breath. "So if you do not sleep well in company that bed is big enough and you might as well use it, as if I'm not there." Liara gave her a warm smile. "Thank you, Shepard," she breathed, and was delighted with the opportunity.

"Then, uh, you are considering?" Liara nodded. "Well, uh... well," said Shepard and gave her the code. "And you cannot be bothered by me, it's so big, you would not find me in there." She left confused and wondered what the hell had she just had said.

Liara on the other hand allowed herself a broad grin as Shepard was gone. Now she did not even have break into Shepard's cabin and she could sleep in a comfortable bed. She decided to take advantage of the offer. Feros was still at least sixteen hours away and she needed sleep.

As Liara awoke there was something slightly different than usual. After the talk with Shepard she had immediately gone to their cabin, had looked thoroughly around and was subsequently fell exhausted into bed. But now she realized that she had missed when the Commander had also come into her bed the last hours. Liara wanted to get up, but Shepard had snuggled up to her, the humans head rested on Liara's neck bone and one arm and leg were wrapped around the Asari.

She moved a little, but Shepard sighed and snuggled up to even closer.
Liara was overwhelmed. She could easily push the Commander off her, but actually she liked the situation with the bed. The crew's quarters were not really an option and to wait until Chakwas left the infirmary to sleep on one of the beds was unnerving. She also had to admit that the feeling was interesting.

She could not remember when the last time someone just held in her arms. Eighty years ago, maybe, she calculated it over in her thoughts. Aria did not count, that had always been short and violent confrontations and as she imagined, cuddling with Aria, she laughed.

Shepard seemed to have noticed that she was awake, because as Liara looked at her the human had opened her eyes. Their views met and to her surprise, Liara felt a smile on her face. "Morning," she murmured. Shepard only muttered and sighed. "Shepard?" Liara tried again. Shepard opened her eyes again, blinked and grinned. "Morning," she moved slowly off Liara, who couldn´t suppressed a soft sigh. Liara did not know exactly what the cause was; she only felt Shepard leaned over and their lips met.

She smiled lasciviously and slipped lower in the sheets, to urge the commander to get closer as she hugged her. But when a sharp pain shot through her neck, she flinched. The scratches were sensitive so when the edge of the pillow brushed against them, they burned. Liara remembered that Shepard would not buy her innocence with the number of those wounds.
"Oh, I uh" Shepard looked embarrassed and stuttered. "I might have misunderstood something .... well, my mistake" Liara was uncomfortable in the situation, but not for the same reasons, as Shepard thought. She would have had no objection to a little sex in the morning, but first she was in the urgent need for some MediGel. "You did nothing wrong," she smiled, whispering and wondering why she was still able to talk. "But the mission, we have to ... keep a cool head, Commander", she breathed disappointed.


Shepard grinned and nodded. "Okay," she murmured and sat up. "Nevertheless, I did not want you to think, that this was the reason I offered you the bed." Liara suppressed the urge to strangle Shepard for the whole sorry-thing, because she was frustrated enough already. She knelt behind the human and hugged her. "I know, but I'd better go." She stood up, walked to the door and looked again, smiling over her shoulder. "Until later, Commander." Then she left Shepard's quarters and went sulkily to her small lab.