The Surprise

By Badpie

Three years. As Shepard lay on his back under the cool sheets in his cabin, it occurred to him. It hadn't seemed that long at all since the Reapers had been defeated, since the galaxy had rejoiced at the defeat of the monsters that would have destroyed all life. Somehow, through some miracle, life in this galaxy had been able to beat back and extinguish its one major threat.

In the three years since, Shepard had been "on special assignment" with the Alliance and was working now mainly for the Council as a Spectre. Just like old times. He hadn't officially left the Alliance. He wasn't sure he could ever really do that on paper. But he had been and was, essentially a gun for hire, righting wrongs and fixing the things that were still broken in the Traverse.

The SR2, the ship which had performed so dutifully for him and his crew, "gifted" to him by the Illusive man less than five years ago was still operating perfectly and the crew aboard had become like a big family. He smiled at the thought, as he stared through the skylight to the stars above.

"What are you grinning at?" Ashley's voice said as she climbed onto the bed next to him and snuggled up close. She was already showered, dressed and ready for the day, her hair back in her usual sleek bun, her Alliance blue fatigues traded for civilian styled ones. She kissed his stubbled and scarred cheek and he wrapped one strong arm around her. She looked at him, her full lips curling into a tiny smile.

"I was just thinking," Shepard replied, resuming his gaze at the stars.

"Thinking?" Ash asked. "About what?"

He looked at her warmly, meeting her deep brown eyes. Ashley Williams. He could still remember the exact details of their first conversation after they'd picked her up on Eden Prime roughly seven years ago. And he remembered months later, the moment he realized he had fallen in love with her. Through the rough patches, the lost time, the two years he'd been gone and dead before Cerberus brought him back, he had never gone a day not thinking of her. She had also requested special assignment to work with him these past three years, leaving her normal Alliance existence. It had been a big decision for her and it had meant a lot to him.

"I was just thinking about everything we've accomplished. What we've done, what we're doing. Sometimes I look back and I think…sometimes I wonder how we did it. And I think about what would have happened if we hadn't won." He touched her face with a casual familiarity, born of their long and intimate relationship. "I think about you…finding you again, that two years, the Collectors. Eventually I just kind of…think about everything." The corner of his mouth turned up with the slightest grin as he stared at the passing stars again.

"Hm," Ash nodded, thoughtful and paused for a long time. "That's a lot to think about before breakfast," she finally quipped and smiled. Ash had a way of keeping Shepard grounded, a skill she'd always had, since they'd first met. In the years since that skill had become invaluable. She was his touchstone, his beacon, his constant. His actions and decisions, rarely challenged by most of those around him, were tempered with her common sense more often than not. He shuddered to think of some of the things he'd have wrought without her. They'd lost each other once and he'd been lost without her. He was pulled from his thoughts by her voice again. "Come on," She sat up. "You're late." She tried to pull the sheets down away from his shirtless, boxer covered form.

"Hey!" He barked, reflexively reaching for the fabric as a short tug of war ensued. "Knock it off, Chief!" He still called her that sometimes even though it hadn't been her rank in a long time. She was 1st Lieutenant now with the Alliance, but "Chief" had become something of a pet name. She was chuckling now and he grabbed her, quickly turning her over onto her back so that he hovered above her. She squealed a little, her musical laugh then permeating the cabin that had once upon a time been so cold and devoid of life. His face lingered close to hers as they laughed softly. He kissed her lips firmly and pulled back after a second, the sensation creating a wave of warmth through his body. It was unexpected, but not unsurprising. He kissed her again, this time more softly and with more than just the intention of being sweet. She kissed back, bringing her hand to the back of his head and stroking softly. Their lips parted and Shepard's voice grew quiet and husky. "I'm not…that late," he said and kissed her throat, prompting her head to fall back onto the bed.

After a few seconds of letting him enjoy the taste and smell of her skin, Ash finally pushed him gently off of her. "No, you are that late. It's 0825."

He kissed her again, his words muffled by her mouth. "Mm. They can wait."

She was laughing now and gently trying to push him away between her obvious enjoyment of his kisses. "Stop it! Mmm. I'm serious! Get your butt out of bed!" Her voice was full of barely restrained giggles as he made one last attempt to sway her by kissing her neck.

Finally he pulled back, a smile on his face, only mildly disappointed. "Fine," he said dryly. "You're right." She raised an eyebrow in a smart ass fashion and then wiggled out from under him and stood up, walking to the door of the cabin. "I won't forget this!" he called after her.

She turned and winked. "Hope not. Tick tock, marine. I'll see you down there."

"Yes ma'am" he said under his breath as she smiled and walked out of the room. He yawned, looked at the clock and it suddenly hit him how late he was. "Damn," he cursed. He got up, walked to the bathroom barefoot and turned on the shower.

When Shepard made it to the comm room his team was already assembled, talking amongst themselves. They had all become close, closer than he would have imagined some of them would. As he glanced around he found himself being grateful for all of them.

Jacob Taylor, who had fought by his side years ago when they defeated the Collectors. He had become one of Shepard's best friends. After losing his job with Cerberus, an unfortunate side effect of Shepard telling The Illusive Man where he could shove his mission, Jacob had had no real option but to stay with Shepard. He supposed that wasn't true. Jacob was a talented soldier and very intelligent. And he had good connections. The truth, Shepard knew is that he'd stayed because he liked and respected Shepard. The feeling was mutual.

Thane, who would have been dead from his life threatening disease if Mordin Solus hadn't found a cure, stood talking to Ash. The two of them had become friends, perhaps because they shared a common interest when it came to religion and spirituality. Shepard knew they'd had many discussions on the subject. And Thane seemed somewhat protective of Ash and she was one of the few people that could make him laugh. The redemptive assassin had proven invaluable on more than a few occasions and Shepard was lucky to have him.

Garrus, Shepard's long time friend. They'd been through hell together and Garrus had assured Shepard he wasn't going anywhere. Shepard would have missed him if he'd decided not to continue on with him. He'd lightened up over the years considerably, something Shepard hadn't thought possible for a Turian.

The biggest surprise of the group was Jack. Shepard had been sure she'd have been the first to go after they defeated the Collectors. But she wasn't. She hadn't had anywhere to go and not surprisingly her heroic efforts had made her feel valuable to the galaxy in general. It had taken her a long time to open up at all to Shepard, and she was still very stand offish, still had a rage that was difficult to quell. But she was here, and part of his team.

Several newer faces had been brought aboard in the last few years. There was Cara; a former arms dealer with some shady connections Shepard had been able to make use of. There was Daniel, a tech specialist that had come aboard when Tali had returned to the Migrant Fleet. Miani, a young asari who had a way with words and an even better way with an assault rifle.

There were, of course a couple other familiar faces. Dr. Chakwas and Joker had been happy to continue working with Shepard. This was the way it was supposed to be, he thought.

"All right people listen up" Shepard said as he entered the comm room. Everyone turned to him, quieting their chit chat. With an electronic chirp, a dossier image of a frowning man appeared in the hologram above the table. "Tarin Olosovic. Former Terra Firma party figurehead had a conflict of ideas with the leaders and broke off to form his own splinter group Humanity First."

"I read about that guy," Cara said. "Thought Terra Firma was too 'soft' on the alien presence in the galaxy. Wanted a militant human uprising to take place."

"You gotta love that there are some people too idiotic even for Terra Firma to accept them," Ash quipped.

"Yeah well," Shepard continued. "He may be an idiot but he's a heavily armed idiot. And he and his group have taken it upon themselves to hijack a Salarian diplomat vessel in the Argos Rho system." With another chirp the image of a ship came into view. "The Darkani, passenger ship carrying four Salarian diplomats and their families. Has a total of twelve passengers, eight adults, and four minors. Olosovic thought that by taking the ship he'd gain attention for Humanity First and possibly some new recruits."

"He would attack defenseless women and children," Thane stated. "How would he expect to gain any favor this way?"

Shepard sighed. "One of the diplomats on board is the Salarian councilor's cousin."

"I wondered why this was such high priority," Ash said. She still wasn't a fan of the Council. Truth be told, neither was Shepard. The political bull shit they'd had to endure over the years had made things difficult for them. The Council had been uncooperative for the most part on many things, including the Reaper threat. And had it not been for their extreme importance in the grand scheme of things, Shepard might have told them to go to hell. But they were a resource. And they seemed to listen to him on occasion, which made him feel like he was accomplishing something.

"Bingo. He's already made demands of the Council asking they step down as ranking authority in the galaxy."

"Oh so…realistic goals…" Cara said sarcastically, twirling a strand of her long red hair lazily.

Shepard smirked. "We did mention they were idiots, four of them total. Of course that presents more of a problem than a solution. They're jumpy. There are reports of shots fired, but they claim there've been no injuries. Olosovic is twitchy, paranoid and he'll be looking for a fight when we head in there."

"And just how do we get in there?" Jacob asked.

Shepard smiled just a little. "The Council said they'd be sending a liaison to facilitate the acquiescence to their demands."

There was a short silence, and then Ash smiled. "And you're the liaison? My god they really are dense aren't they?"

"That would seem to be a common theme with them yes," Shepard responded. "In any case I'd rather handle this peacefully with civilians at risk. We can't just go in blasting."

"Planning to use your winning charm on them, Shepard?" Thane asked. Shepard wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not. It was hard to tell with him.

Shepard sighed. "Right. My charm. We'll see." He said dryly. "We should be there in about forty minutes. Ash, Thane I want you two with me." They nodded their understanding. "Okay, let's get ready. Dismissed everyone."

Shepard walked out of the room first, followed closely by Ash.

"We have time for some breakfast?" She asked. "I'm starving." They made their way through the armory, a place in which Ash and Jacob had spent a lot of time together, mostly arguing about which mod is best for which model weapon and generally getting into good natured pissing contests about who was better with weapon maintenance. Shepard enjoyed their almost sibling-like rivalry.

"You're always starving," Shepard nodded to Rick, their resident planet scanning technician as he passed and saluted.

Ash laughed. "I'm not always…okay I have an appetite. So sue me." The bright lights of the command center came into focus as the crew went about bustling over their stations. A few of the old Cerberus crew was still here, many because of their devotion to Shepard after saving their lives from the Collectors, but there were some Alliance faces too, gifted specialists and techs who had been very excited to work on the amazing frigate.

Shepard had to chuckle. "Yeah let's head to the mess. You had your coffee yet?"

Ash scrunched her nose a little. "Nah. I don't feel like coffee today."

"What?" Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Who are you and what have you done with my lieutenant?"

Ash laughed. "Hey if you want me all jittery with my finger on a trigger that's no problem, but I think I'll skip the caffeine today. Could go for some juice though. Man, orange juice sounds so good right now."

"That does sound good." Shepard said. "Hopefully there's some left. We need to make a supply run."

They headed to the mess, Shepard still slightly amused at Ash's insistence that she didn't want coffee. In all the years he'd known her he had never even heard of a day when she hadn't had it. It was an addiction for her almost, one he didn't share since he didn't drink coffee at all, but it was endearing. She often played up her non-alert state in the mornings for dramatic effect, and it always made Shepard grin. Ash had a little bit of a silly side that showed itself on occasion, only with him. He couldn't help but smile affectionately at her as they entered the elevator.