It had taken some time before Melanie Shepard and Liara T'Soni were ready to settle down. The first couple of years after the Reaper War had been spent dealing with its aftermath but with stability returning, the couple had decided that they were ready to find a more permanent place to live and it was Eve and Shepard who had come up with the idea that led to the where.

The female krogan leader had suggested that some of the new colonies on the worlds the Reapers had destroyed be settled by members of more than one species. These planets could serve as both examples of and advocates for cooperation, blunting the divisions that had helped to make the old Council so ineffective. It was Melanie's idea that the core of these settlements be veterans of the Reaper War, who could be offered free land as partial compensation for their service. Many of them had lost their old homes, they were accustomed to working with members of other species, and their presence would help to ensure the safety of the colonies in a galaxy that still had its dangers.

With Shepard's prestige behind it, the idea had taken off, especially when she and Liara had announced that they would settle on Sanves, a former asari colony that their government had contributed to the project and that had attracted a number of retired members of the multi-species N7 special ops teams.

Over the previous six months, while the Normandy continued with its reconstruction work, Liara had arranged for the construction of a home on the colony. After an impoverished childhood and an adult life lived on a modest Alliance salary, it was quite a change for Melanie to realize they were rich. Liara had inherited a sizeable sum from her mother, and despite the disruptions of the war, the resources she'd taken from the Shadow Broker were still considerable. As for Melanie, she had been awarded pretty much every medal the governments of the galaxy could hand out, many of which came with lifetime pensions, to say nothing of the "royalties from the vids," as Garrus had described them.

The crew had been happy to help out with the move, though Kaidan quipped that they might have been less enthusiastic if the job had been more difficult. Though the house was fairly large, Shepard had spent most of her career on ships and had never had the time or space to acquire many possessions while Liara's apartment on Illium had been destroyed in the war. New furniture had already been delivered, which just left the contents of their cabins; Liara had been living in Melanie's more spacious one since shortly after the Battle of Earth, but still used hers as an office.

Once the boxes had been unloaded and the ship left in Kaidan's capable hands, the couple was left together in their new home. Liara found her bondmate standing in their living room, staring out the window, a distant look on her face.

"Is everything all right, love?"

"It's fine. It's just, I've never really lived in a house before. Definitely never owned one. It's strange thinking that all of this is ours."

The information broker stepped behind her lover, placing her arms around her waist. "A nice home doesn't seem an unreasonable reward for saving the galaxy."

"I know, it just takes some getting used to is all. Besides," she added playfully, "That's not the only reward I got." She turned around in her girlfriend's arms, kissing her passionately while running her hand suggestively down her sensitive crest.

As her other hand caressed Liara's backside, the asari objected, "Ah… Melanie. Not that that does not feel good, but I do think we should unpack somewhat before we, what is the expression, 'write the rest of the day off.'"

Shepard gave the asari another quick peck on the lips before breaking the embrace. "I know. I just wanted to get you thinking about tonight. We've got a new bed to break in after all."

They made some reasonable headway on their boxes before calling it a night and ordering some take-in from an asari restaurant, one of the few that had opened thus far on the new colony. Though their plans to settle there had been well-publicized, the maiden who delivered their food still had an amusingly stunned look on her face when Commander Shepard opened the door.

As Melanie loaded the dishwasher after they'd eaten, she was distracted by the feeling of a warm tongue running along her ear and an arm wrapping around her stomach. "Mm, Liara, I should finish…"

"Tomorrow, Shepard. You've had me thinking about this long enough."

"Well, if you insist."

Starlight from the large windows in their bedroom illuminated them as they entered. Shepard smiled, enjoying the sight of her lover in the dim glow, her blue eyes looking at her with such affection.

"You are beautiful, love". Melanie knew she didn't exactly look her best at that moment, wearing her old N7 hoodie and a bit disheveled from a long day, which only made the lovely asari's complement all the sweeter.

"Come here," the human purred as she pulled her bondmate in for a kiss.

Liara's hands starting to roam over her partner's body, sliding under fabric to caress the tan skin beneath. Melanie felt eagerness in the scientist's touches, and she grinned, unzipping her sweatshirt and letting it fall to the floor even as Liara pulled her own green sweater over her head, revealing a thin white t-shit beneath it.

Shepard traced a finger over her lover's chest, eliciting a slight gasp as Liara's nipples stiffened through the fabric. The asari's digits played over the commander's teasing hand, running up her arm, and slipping off the strap of her black tank-top off. Their lips met again, Melanie's tongue darting into her partner's mouth even as Liara slid down the second strap, the top falling away to reveal shapely breasts. Her warm hands covered them, thumbs coaxing the nipples into hardness as Melanie sighed with pleasure.

They crossed the room entangled, kissing as they went. Melanie gently lowered Liara onto the bed before starting her way down her body with her mouth, tasting her skin and sweat, sweeter and less salty than that of a human. While her tongue ran over Liara's stomach and dipped into her belly button, her skilled hands unbuttoned the scientist's pants, pulling them and her underwear off together.

As she slowly trailed a finger up between her girlfriend's legs, she could tell that Liara was already turned on, but Melanie didn't want to go too quickly. It was a special night, and she wanted it to last. With two of her nimble brown digits, she brushed lightly over the sensitive scales between her lover's thighs before pressing for an instant against her clitoris. Liara cried out, flickers of blue light sparkling off of her in the darkness, but then Shepard moved her touch, gliding back down the asari's other leg.

The commander retraced this path again and again, teasing with her fingers, feeling Liara buck her hips against her each time she rubbed her partner's core. "Please, Melanie," her bondmate whispered huskily, and Shepard couldn't resist her. She leaned down, running her tongue over the scientist's clit as she slid two fingers inside her. The response was immediate, Liara's body shuddering with fulfilled longing as Shepard began thrusting in and out of her.

Melanie could feel Liara getting closer as the asari looked down, her bright eyes filled with desire. "Wait, Shepard. I want you too." The soldier just nodded and moved up beside her partner, who's practiced hands undid her dark blue slacks and quickly removed them along with her panties even as her thoughts reached out to Melanie's.

She acceded without words, and as the scientists' eyes flashed dark, the familiar and yet thrilling sensation of the bond enfolded them, desire and affection flowing through their minds. The arousal that the commander had so loving cultivated in her partner returned to her, flushing her body with sudden, needful heat.

Responding to her craving, Liara's fingers went to her lover's engorged clitoris even as Melanie slid her hand back between her partner's legs, fingers dipping inside her while her thumb rubbed her bud. Bodies pressed together, tongues entwined, fingers thrusting and rubbing, Shepard couldn't feel anything but her lover, couldn't imagine wanting anything but her. Liara slid inside her wet center with her fingers, her palm maintaining the pressure against her throbbing clit as Melanie's free hand caressed her partner's crest, their building pleasure echoing between them, driving them toward their peak.

Liara's body arched against Melanie, her nipples brushing against Shepard's chest as her other hand tangled in her dark hair. Melanie curled her fingers deep inside her lover and felt it take Liara over the edge just as her own orgasm surged through her as well. Their thighs clenched around each other's hands, their pleasure amplified by the bliss their partner felt.

As their minds separated, the lovers crawled into each other's arms. "Goddess, you make me crazy," Liara purred, running her hand lovingly through Shepard's short black hair.

Melanie kissed along her partner's throat, "Glad to hear it. I was hoping you wanted more tonight."

"I think…ah, that sounds wonderful. What did you have in mind?"

"Something that I made sure to pack where I could get at it easily."

Liara just smiled, guessing her girlfriend's meaning, and Shepard rose from the bed, crossing the room to a box she'd left nearby. Even in the low light, she could see Liara hungrily watching her naked body move as she opened it up and removed a black harness and strap-on. She went to put it on, but her lover motioned for her to bring it back to her instead.

As she stood by the side of the bed, Liara crawled over to sit beside her, planting kisses on the tan skin of Shepard's stomach while her hands caressed her firm butt. Melanie sighed happily, running her fingers over her lover's crest as Liara dipped her head, nuzzling the small patch of hair above the human's sex before planting a kiss on her clitoris. While Shepard gasped with pleasure, the scientist took the harness from her and, withdrawing her mouth, began to fasten it into place.

Shepard had tried toys like this with human lovers before she met Liara, but she'd never been overly enamored of them, preferring the more personal touch of hands and mouths. With Liara though, it was different, the joining transforming the sex, creating a shared pleasure and intimacy that was different from any of Melanie's past experiences with making love this way. It was still not standard fare for them, but it made an interesting change of pace on the right night, and Melanie had thought that moving into their new home might be such an occasion.

Liara finished her task and lay back on the bed, leading Shepard down beside her. The commander kissed her lover gently, running her hands over her pale blue skin. She was in no rush, wanting to make sure that Liara was properly aroused before she entered her. Her fingers gradually made their way lower and lower, tracing her lover's collarbone and breasts, stomach and hips before sliding once more between the asari's legs. She ran her digits back and forth over Liara's opening, feeling the moisture there, brushing against her clitoris while covering the scientist's face with kisses. Feeling her bondmate's arousal rising again, Melanie probed her sex with two fingers, and when they found her wet and ready, she began thrusting, slowly at first but with increasing vigor as Liara responded, her arms wrapping around Shepard's back, pulling her closer.

"Yes! Now!"

Melanie shifted her hips, lining up the strap-on so that she could enter her girlfriend. She slid in without difficulty, her fingers having performed their task admirably and though there's an attachment at the base of the toy that rubs pleasurably against Shepard's clit when she thrusts, it's when their minds joined that she was reminded why this could be so good.

"Ah, Melanie, wonderful, fits just right, yes, Liara, feel myself so deep in you, goddess, more, yes…"

Liara's mouth ran along Shepard's neck, her tongue eliciting sighs and gasps as her lover started moving her hips. The asari's hands stayed firmly on Melanie's back, guiding her deeper, wanting to feel more of their skin touching even as their thoughts meshed. Their bodies flowed together as if they were made for only this, hips pushing in rhythm, mouths pressed against skin, hands roaming everywhere.

"God, my love, so good, just you, only you, let me, want to look at you, of course…"

As she rolled over and Liara straightened above her, Shepard lay back, enraptured by how beautiful her partner looked in that moment: her body glistening with sweat, face flushed, eyes full of desire as she rode her. She slid one hand up a blue thigh, her thumb pressing against Liara's clit even as she pushed deeper into her. The asari moaned with pleasure and as her fingers reached down to stimulate the human's dark nipples, Shepard quickened her pace.

Shared desire filled them now, the sensations running together in a glorious stream. Melanie sat up slightly so that she could take a blue nipple in her mouth while her hand cupped Liara's other breast. The asari gasped, her hips bucking against Shepard and as the human thrust hard into her, she came, the sensation of sharing the scientist's climax taking Melanie over the edge with her. Their cries of ecstasy merged as Liara's biotics flared, bathing the dimly-lit room in a blue glow.

Afterwards, Liara slipped off of her lover and removed the harness before nuzzling in Shepard's waiting arms. They kissed affectionately, just enjoying the afterglow for a time before Melanie broke the silence.

"I think I'm going to like owning a house."

"It does eliminate the need to worry about the noise."

"Good thing too. I think we would have woken the lower decks back on the Normandy."

"I love you, Melanie," Liara replied with a gentle kiss. "I love the sounds you make. I love the way you look at me, the way you touch me, and I love that the last thing I get to see at night and the first thing I get to see in the morning is you."

Shepard purred. "God, the things you say. I love you too Liara. I love every inch, every part of you, and there's no one else I want to spend my life with." Melanie slid her arms snuggly around her lover and the couple drifted off, tired but utterly contended.