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For once, life was still. No more running, no more worrying. It felt like she were watching someone else’s life from somewhere beyond. Only it wasn’t someone else’s life. It was the one Keri T’Vessa chosen six hundred years ago. Memories surfaced of Liara T’Soni standing with her on the balcony of Eternity, drink in hand, as the two of them toasted new beginnings.The love of Liara's life, Korynn Shepard was back, and Keri left in the morning for a whole new galaxy.“Do yourself a favor,” Liara joked, “and be careful when you’re out there. Especially around humans. They’ll steal your heart, and then they’ll be gone before you know it.”Keri hadn't understood the gravity of Liara's statement until now. As she traced the figure of Alex Ryder sleeping in her bed beside her, Keri wondered what her old friend would think...if she was still alive. Doctor T'Soni was crafty, Keri mused. Not even the apocalypse could get in her way. Keri always admired Liara. Despite the evil things done to her, the people she loved, she never stopped trusting. She had more faith. Keri willed herself to relax. Comparing herself to others was something that Keri still struggled with. She focused on the ceiling of her apartment, the sinews of the exposed piping, lit by the soft amber lights of her living room, as it traversed the overhead to the depths of the space station. So unlike anything she’d ever known, even on the Citadel. That was the point in coming here: The unexpected was the adventure. Like so many who had joined the Initiative, Keri had been enamored by the grand vistas and alien swirls promised by a new galaxy. What she hadn’t anticipated was that the strange unknown would be explored, not on some alien planet, but in her own bedroom.If she closed her eyes, Keri could hear the hum of the lamps not far from the bed, the press of dark energy that asari were naturally attuned to, and the fields that swirled around Alex, and the sound of Alex's breaths as she slept. Alex was a silent sleeper, though as her journey took her deeper into the tapestry of Heleus, it wasn't uncommon for her to wake in the middle of the night in a fit of confusion and fear. It terrified Keri each time it happened, and she wondered how many times Liara woke to something similar. The last thought brought a rueful smile to Keri’s lips. She opened her eyes and took in the sight of Alex, sprawled on her back with one hand behind her head. How precious she was, Keri thought. She leaned over, the blanket falling off her naked chest, and she kissed the short, prickly dark hairs along the back of her head, and then a pair of freckles at the base of Alex's neck that were her favorites.
So alive she was. Keri slid her hands along the soft skin of Alex's arm. Keri couldn’t help but wonder how much borrowed time she had left. Asari were known as resilient thanks to their long lives, but it didn’t meant that the thought of losing someone hurt less. It wasn’t fair to Alex to withhold her heart and the idea of letting her go out of fear hurt even more. Was this what Liara warned her about?Probably, but Keri found she didn’t care so much. Keri laid her head on Alex’s shoulder and listened to the beat of her heart and kissed her in another place close by.Alex stirred and Keri suddenly found herself enveloped in Alex’s muscular arms and pulled on top as Alex rolled onto her back. Joy caused a giddy giggle to escape Keri’s lips and it surprised her that the feeling of ‘giddy’ and ‘excitement’ could exist. Especially in this godforsaken place.“I love you,” Alex said, groggily. Her eyes were half open, but a serene smile was across those lips Keri loved to kiss and she did so.“I love you,” Keri replied. For the first time since she could remember, the words meant more, everything meant more.