Work Text:
Liara wasn't a fan of the place her superior had chosen to meet. She looked at the message on her omnitool once again, ‘Dr. T'soni, my colleagues and I want to discuss your recent findings on the Protheans. Meet us at Purgatory. If they find your data interesting, they may help fund another dig for your studies.
See you at 7, don't be late.
Dr. H’
The Asari sighed, the door opening with a soft whooshing noise as she walked towards it. She hated having to butter up prestigious donors in hopes that they would take an interest in her work and make a generous contribution. All any of these men (and they were always men) ever saw her as was a pretty asari, no different from one of the dancers she frequently saw in places like this. None ever took her seriously as a bright scientific mind.
Oh, there was Doctor Harmon, waving her over to a table with three other men now. Liara sucked in a deep breath, you can do this, Liara, you can get at least one of these people to donate. She composed a charming smile, aimed at Doctor Harmon and joined them.
---
Jane Shepard took a seat at the bar only after discreetly scanning the room. No one she knew was here tonight, which meant the Commander could have a drink in peace for once. Not that she was prone to bar fights, but the soldier had had more than her fair share of them in her last couple of visits. She was honestly shocked that management hadn't given her a permanent ban yet.
Guess I don't take shore leave as often as I thought, Shepard mused, ordering a stiff drink from the Salarian bartender. She watched warily as someone else came up to the bar.
“One Serrice Ice brandy, please.” the flustered Asari requested, placing both hands on the counter as if to steady herself. The Commander sipped her drink and assessed the newcomer without drawing attention to herself. The Asari wasn't drunk; though she was flushed she didn't have any slurred speech, and she looked mildly uncomfortable rather than buzzed. The Salarian nodded, glancing behind the blue woman from where she had come up to the bar.
A man sidled up behind the Asari and placed his hand on her hip, asking the bartender to put it on his tab. “That's very kind of you, Mr. Cobb,” she protested.
“Call me Danny, Ms. T'soni-”
“ Dr. T’soni.”
“-and it's my pleasure.” The man smiled at her, his hand still on her hip, though it was obviously making the woman uncomfortable. “Your work is inspiring. I would like you to come by my place sometime to view my private collection of Prothean artifacts.”
The bartender placed the drink on the counter for the Asari, who slid it and herself a little down the bar, maneuvering away from the hand that had been on her hip. “Oh, um, Danny, thank you… I don't know if I'll really have time for that as I've got to start planning my next excavation-”
“Nonsense, you can come by later tonight for a personal tour.”
Shepard got up from her place at the other side of the bar and strode over, drink in hand. She couldn't stand to see this sleeze make the poor woman so uncomfortable. “Hey, babe, I was just looking for you. I'm not too late am I?” Shepard asked, coming up beside the Asari and leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“Play along, I'll get rid of him,” she whispered before pulling away.
Liara blushed, looking from Danny to the stranger that had just pushed in to save her. “Oh no, I was just concluding business with Mr. Cobb and my other associates before coming to find you, dear. ”
Danny looked perturbed by this intrusion; turning his gaze to Shepard, he made no effort to hide his scrutiny. “That's odd. Doctor Harmon didn't mention you had a… girlfriend.”
“He wouldn't have, because… ah,” Liara faltered.
“Because we've been keeping this to ourselves,” Shepard supplied, shooting another smile at the Asari who she had now drawn close to her side with a protective arm. Jane was just glad she had chosen to wear a tank top tonight, as her muscles flexed impressively. “We're not much for having people in our business.”
Danny huffed a little, and Liara wrapped one of her own arms around the stranger, obediently playing along. “Um, well if you'll excuse us, Mr. Cobb, I believe our meeting has come to a close, and I'd like to spend some time with my girlfriend.” The man muttered something that sounded like ‘dykes’ and walked away, not really bothering with a goodbye.
“He's still watching us from the table,” Shepard advised, loosing her arm just enough to let the Asari turn in the half embrace to face her. “I'm Shepard. Well, Jane Shepard, but everyone just calls me by my last name,” she explained with a grin.
“Liara T’soni, and thank you, he wasn't very pleasant.” The Asari smiled again.
“It was my pleasure, Liara. Like I said he's still keeping an eye on us. If you'd really like to sell this to him, you might have to kiss me.” Shepard’s eyes sparkled with mischief, while the Asari’s widened a bit in surprise.
“While I'm not in the habit of kissing strangers, I suppose you did just get that creep away from me, so you have definitely earned one.” Liara tried to mirror the mischievous look in the human's eye. Neither moved for a moment, and then both started to laugh. Shepard released the Asari and lifted her glass to take a swig.
“You wanna grab a table with me?” the Commander asked.
“I'd love to.” Liara picked up her own glass and allowed herself to be led through the club towards a table in the back of the lower bar, away from Mr. Cobb.
“So, what do you do, Shepard, aside from save women from unwanted advances?” Liara asked, once she had settled in her seat and taken a sip of her brandy.
“I'm a Commander in the Alliance Navy on board the Normandy. Right now we're docked at the Citadel waiting on the word of the Earth’s ambassador.” Jane knocked back the rest of her drink. “How about you?”
“I have a doctorate in archaeology, specializing in the Protheans,” Liara explained. “Not as exciting as most professions, but finding artifacts that not only tell us more about their lives but can also further advance our own technology today is rewarding in its own right.” She put her drink to her lips and took sip. It was hot as it slipped down her throat, and after only two sips, Liara was feeling quite the buzz. Something wasn't right.
The two women continued chatting, Liara saying nothing about her drink until she was almost done with it and clearly having a hard time sitting up.
“Are you alright, Liara?” Shepard asked, touching the Asari’s hand. “How much have you had to drink tonight?”
“This’s m’ first one,” the blue woman admitted. “I though’ it felt a li’l strange.” She mumbled something more about tasting funny before she slumped onto the table, eyes blinking slowly.
“Liara, hold on,” Jane urged the woman. “I'm going to get you to a safe place where you can sleep this off.” The soldier stood and lifted the Asari up from her seat, putting the doctor's arm around her shoulders and supporting her waist with her own. Liara hiccuped and stumbled as Shepard led them out of Purgatory.
Here, Shepard paused; she couldn't exactly take Liara back to the Normandy, and it would be a little awkward to rent a room somewhere with an obviously intoxicated woman on her arm. “Alright Liara, do you have someplace you're staying?”
“Prisidium Commons apartments,” the Asari slurred, leaning heavily into the Commander who was steering them towards a rapid transit taxi. Shepard briefly stood Liara upright so she could open the taxi door, and upon turning around, she found the blue woman teetering dangerously close to the railing.
“Easy, here we go,” Jane coaxed, guiding Liara with a hand on the small of her back. “I'll take you there, and then I can come back to have a chat with the bartender.”
---
Liara woke up slowly, feeling foggy. She couldn't remember getting home last night, or climbing into bed. She sat up, her head spinning dangerously. Too much to drink, the Asari thought to herself, reaching for her omnitool where it usually rested on her bedside table, except it was still on her wrist. Goddess, did I just sleep in my clothes?
She checked her omnitool, noticing a message was waiting for her. It was from a Jane Shepard. The woman from last night, she remembered.
“Liara, I went back to the bar after taking you home and putting you to bed. The Salarian bartender didn't slip anything into your drink, but he saw that creep from last night drop a tablet in it.
Cmdr. Shepard”
The Asari rubbed her temple with two fingers, trying to wrap her brain around what the message said. She had been drugged by Mr. Cobb, why? Without further pondering, Liara opened a reply.
Jane
No, she hit backspace, that seemed too informal for someone she had just met, and the Asari faintly recalled that the Commander was always just called by her last name.
Shepard,
I cannot believe he would do something so reprehensible. Thank you for getting me home last night, it might have turned out much differently had you not been there to rescue me.
T'soni
She hit send and sighed, stretching a bit and throwing her legs over the side of the bed to get up. Liara decided she might as well change when her omnitool pinged for her attention. Another message:
“Is it alright if I swing by to check on you?
Shepard”
Liara smiled, running her hand over her crest, quickly tapping out a reply and then heading to her closet to get changed before the Commander arrived. It wasn't too long after getting dressed Liara was attempting to make a common earth drink - coffee - when Shepard requested entry at the buzzer.
The Asari fiddled with the door controls, and one whoosh later there she stood. Liara hadn't exactly gotten to appreciate the view last night. Shepard was in some casual Alliance uniform, sleeves rolled up to her biceps... It was distracting.
The Commander cleared her throat. “Hey.” They stood another moment before Shepard spoke again. “Alright if I come in?”
“Oh, of course, how silly of me!” Liara flushed, stepping to the side a ways and motioning for the soldier to enter. “I’ve just made some coffee, though I’m not sure if it’s very good. It smells strange.”
“I'm sure it's fine,” Shepard chuckled, entering the apartment so the door could slide close, “and I would love some.” They were silent again while Liara hurried over to the kitchenette and poured a mug of the strangely brewed drink. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“Foggy,” Liara admitted, handing the beverage to the Commander, who accepted it with a nod of thanks. “I remember you rescuing me from that awful Mr. Cobb, and getting a table, but after that I can't remember much more of the evening.”
Shepard took a sip of her coffee, and if it tasted bad she didn't show it. “I took you home, made sure you got inside safely, and put you in bed. Afterwards, I went back to Purgatory to talk with the bartender.” The Asari bit her lip and urged the Commander to continue. Jane sighed, taking another sip of coffee. “I didn't have to rough him up, but he let me know really quick who was responsible for your drink. I guess your Danny boy is a frequent offender.”
“That's horrible,” Liara gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Would you be mad if I kicked his ass?” Shepard asked with a sheepish grin.
“I don't see why I would be; he never intended to donate to my research,” the Asari sniffed, causing the soldier to grin.
“Good, because I've already convinced the Salarian bartender to give me bar surveillance implicating him on multiple accounts, and we're going to give it to C-sec.”
“Shepard!” The Asari gasped again. “How were you able to do that?”
“I've got my ways.” Jane winked. “Now, do you have Cobb’s contact info? I would like to make it clear that this doesn't fly with me.”
---
After a brief email chain, in which Danny Cobb had attempted to threaten, bribe, and then plead with Shepard not to submit the security footage of him slipping drugs into women's drinks, both Liara and the Commander were laughing and smiling together.
“I hope he gets what he deserves,” Liara said, taking Shepard’s empty mug and placing it in the sink.
“He will,” Shepard assured her, standing and stepping around the breakfast bar so she could place a hand tentatively on the Asari’s shoulder. “I have friends in C-sec who will be able to launch and follow up on the investigation.” She gave Liara’s shoulder a friendly squeeze. “I'm glad you're okay.”
The Asari turned around, the closeness of her body to the Commander’s making her hyper aware of everything, and warmth radiated from her cheeks as she locked eyes with Jane. “I'm glad you were there, and I'm glad to have met you, regardless of the circumstances.” She let herself pause for a beat, watching Shepard’s expression. “I think you've definitely earned that kiss.”
Jane's brow quirked. “Have I?” Liara nodded, her mouth suddenly too dry to speak. “Then I will accept your kiss graciously.”
Liara’s heart beat loudly in her chest as she leaned in, a delicate hand coming up to cup Shepard’s cheek. Thankfully, the soldier closed the distance between them, pressing their lips together in a chaste and sweet kiss. The Commander’s lips were chapped, but not unpleasant on Liara’s own, and all too soon the feeling was gone as Jane pulled away.
The soldier’s hands rested lightly on the Asari’s hips as they both smiled at each other. “I would like to see more of you,” Shepard admitted. “I'm not sure when I'll be headed out again, there's something the Earth ambassador needs me here for, but-”
“I don't have another excavation planned for quite a while yet,” Liara interrupted. “I'm sure we can spend some time together before our respective duties call us away.”
“Maybe someplace classier than Purgatory,” Shepard laughed, Liara joining in with a smile.