The Commander's Girls

Ashley Williams and various other crew members mentioned belong to Bioware. But Ava and Aubrey Shepard belong to me. R&R please. This story has not beta so if you find anything misspelled, missing, etc. Please let me know so I can fix it.

Many thanks to you all,

Losa136

Commander Ava Ami Shepard was lying in her bed exhausted from the "battle" she just fought, and she wasn't alone; Gunnery Chief Ashley M. Williams was there beside her commander with equal exhaustion with her head on the older woman's shoulder, while Ava ran her fingers through the long, thick brown tendrils that would normally be in its standard bun on top of the chief's head. It had been a week since they had defeated Saren and the Reaper called Sovereign and thus taking back the Citadel from them, and humanity had finally been accepted by the Council races. Ava sat silently thinking about how far she and Ashley had come, from Eden Prime to the exact moment they were currently at right now. The memories were just following through her mind as her hand continued its motions in the chief's hair.

All the while as Ava continued, Ash started to purr slightly and mumbled into Ava's neck sleepily, "Mmhmm… Ava that feels good." Ashley continued to purr until she was out like a light.

Ava kissed her chief on the forehead, then slowly and carefully untangled herself from Ashley's embrace and went over to her computer. The Normandy had been sent out to look for signs of any Geth hold-outs. So far they hadn't found any and because of that, Ava and Ash had been able to spend more time together. Ava smiled as the images of the past few days came to her mind. Some were of Ash coming to visit her in the Med-Bay after Ava had decided that her former CO David Anderson was to become the first human Councilor. Ash had gotten some serious bruises and a fractured wrist from when Ava had pushed her out of the way, when a piece of Sovereign came crashing into the chamber they were in. It had left Ava with several bruises, cuts, sprains, along with a few broken bones.

Ava was amazed that she was able to even stay standing when she was led to Councilors she just saved. Others were of the activities that they have been taking part of since Ava was allowed to go back into her cabin. But right now, no matter how many times she tried, she just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen to her and she wasn't going to see Ash ever again. So she turned to the screen and tapped a few keys to start a message.

She looked at straight at the camera embedded at the top of her screen and began, "Hey Ash, its Ava. I know that if you're watching this, it's because I'm on my way to meeting you old man and granddad. I know that's not funny but it does mean I wasn't able to stop this message within the next few days. Ash, I know it hurts right now and you probably don't want to but, please listen to what I have to say. There are some things that I needed to tell you. I was going to tell you soon but just like you, I'm not a word person and there are some questions that I have no answer to or it's just too complicated to explain. I understand if you hate me after this but please at least don't let another soul know what I'm about to tell you…" Ava paused for a moment and opened a drawer in her deck and pulled out a picture of a seventeen year old, holding a little baby girl in her arms, and was smiling at the camera with the look of exhaustion evident in her features. She held the picture up to the screen as the tears started to fall from her eyes.

She spoke again shakily, "Ash this is a picture of me with my baby girl Aubrey Alison Shepard, she's going to be thirteen in four months. I've told her all about you and she really wants to meet you someday, I wanted you to meet her when we got some shore leave to spend a few weeks with her together. But if I'm gone then I need you to protect her, protect her from her father. I can't go into the story of why, there isn't enough time. But her "Half-sister" I guess you can call her, can. She was nineteen at the time I met her father. I wish I could tell you more but I don't want to put my little star in more danger. I left you all that you need in order to find Aubrey just go to the Citadel and ask Anderson for it. I love you Ashley and I know I'm dumping a lot on you, but you're the first person I've ever been able to trust with this. Tell her that if she ever needs me when you can't be there, to look up to the stars because I'll be watching over her. As for you Ash, there is a locket that is for you. Inside there is a picture of me and Aubrey and on the back you will find a button. If you ever get the feeling that someone is following you at all, press that button and her sister will find you to move her someplace safe. If you made it this far into this message then I thank you. I love you with all my heart Ash. I'll tell your dad you said hi."

Ava ended the message; she turned around and went about grabbing her uniform and putting it on because now she needed to make a very important call. She walked up the stairs to the Comms. Room. "Joker, I need a secure call to Miranda Lawson."

"Aye, Aye Commander." He replied over the intercom.

She waited a few moments hoping that the woman she was trying to contact wasn't very busy or still pissed at her. Then the screen flickered and showed a beautiful thirty-two year old woman with long silky black hair that hung on her shoulders and sparkling cobalt blue eyes. "This is Miranda Lawson speaking." She said in a clipped business tone with an Australian accent.

Ava stood at parade rest and looked at her with a smile, "Miri, its Av."

The older woman frowned deeply, "Ava! Did you call to yell at me again about Cerberus?"

Ava sighed, Miranda was always easy to anger but, Ava just used the tone of voice she uses to when they were around each other constantly. "No Miri, I didn't and I'm sorry that I did, Akuze did a lot of damage to me and after finding Toombs and Admiral Kohaku it was too much. When you called and told me, that you had finished a big project for them, everything I saw that came from them so far had been very far from good but, it wasn't fair of me to dismiss you when you told me so quickly."

Miranda narrowed her eyes at Ava to see if she was telling the truth and she could see that Ava was, "I accept your apology, but why did you call if not for that?"

"Miri, for the past week since being sent out here I've been getting really bad feelings, that something is going to happen in the next couple days. I can't shake it, so just in case I die as soon as you get word I need you to get Aubrey to the Citadel and give Anderson the information that Ashley needs to meet her."

"Why? Haven't I been keeping an eye on her well enough?"

"You've done a perfect job on watching over her and Orianna. I have told Aubrey all about Ash and she really wants to meet her. As far as I'm aware Aubrey got a lot of stubbornness on both sides and don't tell me you're not stubborn because you know that's a lie. So you know once Aubrey got it in her head that she wanted to meet Ashley, she won't stop until she does. Besides I don't want you to spread yourself too thin keeping an eye on both Ori and Brey. I love Ash, Miri, the last time I felt this way was when we were together, and we both know that we, can never be again. Hell, its awkward as it is, I mean seriously my best friend, girlfriend, my whole world, gets torn from me in a matter of months. To where my girlfriend is now my little girl's sister and that sister is two years older than her mother. All because of Henry Lawson and his pettiness. In his eyes I was just trash that was special enough to get into his daughter's school. Then he decided that the poor, unfortunate seventeen year old girl needed to be taught a lesson for taking you and little Orianna away from his abusiveness. Yeah, I know you've done a perfect job of keeping Orianna and Aubrey safe, but now I want Ashley and Aubrey to meet." Ava took in a deep breath and let it out and her shoulders sagged with her exhaustion.

"Okay Ava, is there anything specific you need me to do?"

"Ash is going to have questions about Henry and you. I want you to tell her everything and give her my locket that has the special button on the back that's meant to alert you, as well as the information about Brey."

"Alright Ava, I will have everything ready for that day." Then Miranda looked down at what most has been a clock and when she looked back up she looked sad, "I'm sorry but I need to go to a meeting."

"That's alright Miri, I love you. Goodbye."

"I love you too, Ava." Miranda replied and the screen disappeared, Shepard turned to go back to her bed where her beautiful Chief was asleep waiting for her, when said woman was right behind her. Ash was furious with Ava and the commander could see it.

"Ashley! How long have you standing there?" Ava asked worried that Ash had heard the entire conversation.

"I walked in when you're saying goodbye. Now who was that woman?" Ashley demanded.

Ava was quiet unsure on how to answer her girlfriend, "Who was she?" Ashley repeated.

Ava sighed and looked up prepared for the shit storm that was headed her way, "That was Miranda Lawson."

"What is she to you?" Ash continued her line of questioning.

"Miranda Lawson is my ex-girlfriend."

"If she is your ex then why were you talking to her?"

"Follow me." Ava knew that the room that they were in was not the best place to have this argument, so Shepard ordered Ash and walked through the door, down the stairs, and into her room with Ashley hot on her heels. She pointed to the bed and ordered Williams to sit there which Ashley complied. Ash watched Ava pace back and forth refusing to look at her girlfriend until she was good and ready.

After ten minutes of pacing she stopped, turned to Ashley with a defeated look, and spoke, "Okay when I was about sixteen, I met Miranda at a school gathering, she was a junior at the time; I was an orphan with privileges because I'm a really powerful biotic. But, I was dirt poor and I was part of that gang I told you about. One day when I was somewhere around fifteen, I was out pick pocketing when I got caught picking a very important person's pocket. I tried to use my biotics to get away but I hadn't eaten anything for three days prior so I was really weak. She was nice to me for no reason, she scolded me and then took me to the nearby diner and bought me some thing to eat. She didn't call the cops or do anything of that sort instead she asked me questions about myself. When I was done eating she asked what I wanted to do after I turned eighteen. I told her I was going to join the Alliance Navy. Then she went about asking me if I knew how to read and write and I told her that I knew how to do a little of both. She said that was going to change and said that I was going to a really good school and she was going to get me in. Turned out she was the Director of this school and she actually had me stay with her so I would stay in school and get a little more education before I signed up. Anyway I met Miranda because she was giving a speech on something but I wasn't paying attention to what she was talking about I could only focus on Miranda herself. I was a few rows from the stage and our eyes seemed to have just met. We talked for a few hours that day and after a month we were best friends."

"After a few months after I turned seventeen we became lovers. We had been together for six or seven months when everything changed."

"What happened?" Ashley asked in a comforting tone with a bit of understanding mixed in.

"Her father was what happened, he saw to it that I could never be with her again."

"But you told her that you loved her." Ashley's lower lip started to tremble as she was trying to fight the tears.

Ava reached up and caressed her girlfriend's cheek with the back of her hand as she continued, "Because I still do love her but, not in the same way as before Ash. Miri was my whole world once upon a time, and after what happened we did try to make it work, God did we try. But after three years, we just decided we should stay best friends and I left to join the military." She sighed and with her other hand she reached for one of Ash's, which Ashley allowed and didn't pull it back. Ava continued onward.

"When I left her Ashley, I was so lost. In those three years with her, I would wake up in the morning and Miranda would be the first thing I saw everyday. I told her everything, because I believe, to not be open with your partner is really bad for your relationship. I know I keep a few things from you, not because I don't trust you enough, but to keep what we have together from ending. Miranda and I both knew we're delaying the inevitable, and I ended it because when I went to hold her like I use to, it just wasn't the same no matter how hard we'd tried. So for the longest time after I left, I honestly thought I would never find someone who could make me feel everything she did and more. That was until that day on Eden Prime when I met a marine fighting for her life with determination. Later I found out this marine has a great love of poetry, compassion for her family and friends, there are other great traits but I digress, now I have found myself falling madly in love and very hard for her. It's true that I still love Miranda, and I always will, she was my first after all but, you're everything she was to me and so, so much more." Ava looked at Ashley with sad eyes and caressed the chief's cheek some more. Ashley leaned into the touch and smiled with watery eyes at Ava, who returned the expression. Ava moved some of the dark brown hair behind Ash's ear and leaned in to kiss her lips. When the need for oxygen became too large to ignore they broke apart.

"So why did you call her?" Ashley questioned with a bit of anger left in her voice.

"I called her because she is the holder of my will and I needed to add to it so you and a few other people were in it. I would make you the holder but since we're both soldiers and could be gone at any minute of the day it would be better if it stayed with her. I also left you a message just in case something does happen to me and you need to contact her."

Why did you need to change it? Ash wondered in her mind.

As if Ava was a mind reader she said, "I needed to change it because there are some things I want you to take care of but I can't tell you what they are because, they are between Miranda and myself. But one day you will, I promise."

"I got it ma'am." Ashley said as she began to take off her clothes for the second time that night. "Now let's go back to bed."

"You go ahead I need to take care of one last thing before I go asleep, okay?"

"Don't keep me waiting long Skipper."

"Never, my chief." Ava replied as she leaned down and kissed her again. Then she went over to her desk and pulled out two holos and a stick note and wrote, People you need to meet. I love you always, Ava Ami Shepard. Then she picked them up and told Williams that she would be right back. Ava made her way to the elevator and went down to the cargo bay. When she got there she went to Ashley's locker, opened it and opened a pouch on the Gunnery Chief's armor and put the holos and the note into it. She closed the locker and went back up the elevator; on the way she sent a message to Miranda telling her to split Ava's credits equally among her entire crew and that Ash can have the retirement home Ava won at Panicle Station. She walked into her room to find that Ash had fallen back asleep so she quietly made her way to her side of the bed and striped until she was as nude as Ash. She finally laid down, gathered Ash up into her arms, to which Ash snuggled into the crook of Ava's neck and Ava fell asleep with a smile on her face.