A/N: Hello guys. This is my first fanfic. Please, please, rate, and more importantly, review. I'm trying to improve my very horrible writing. I'm a huge Ashley fan. Because I like the way her backstory was developed. Those who say that she is just a Xenophobic human are obviously just too plain lazy to get to know her better. I might do a story with an OC inside it. But for now, all I have is just this one-shot. Again, thanks for reading! (BTW, I was listening to Taylor Swift's Safe And Sound on loop just to get the feel of what Shepard's feeling during this scene.)
Shepard squeezed the trigger. Once. Twice. He saw Joker, beaming at him from the pilot's seat. Joker, the best damn pilot the Alliance ever had. Joker was one of the strongest people he ever met. Under that nonsensical, annoying facade lay an extremely resilient man. Brittle-bone disease he had, but he accomplished feats that no other able-bodied soldier would be able to do in over ten lifetimes. He can't run without breaking his leg, but he could make the Normandy dance ballet. He saved Shepard's ass God-knows how many times, with nothing but his exceptional flying skills.
Shepard fired his gun again. This time, Anderson was smiling at him. Anderson, who always looked out for him. Who was like a father to him. How torn Shepard was, when he made the decision to stay back on Earth. How horrible Shepard felt, when the Normandy left Earth. "I'm proud of you son. You did good." Those were his last words.
Shepard could see the glass casing crack. He thought of Ashley. The woman he so dearly loved. Those cognac eyes, staring deep into his. He watched her transform. From the devastated Gunnery Chief who lost her unit on Eden Prime, to the Lieutenant Commander so confident now. The second human Spectre. Shepard recalled the night -their night- before Ilos, and the recent one before their attack on the Ceberus base. Shepard cringed. Ashley was going to lose him, for the second time. He thought of the last kiss they shared. I'm so sorry, Ash. I'm so sorry.
The flames engulfed him, and the world around him came crashing down. Shepard went back to the past. When he was just some punk in a gang. A troublemaker the Commander Shepard now would've never hesitated to arrest. "Wow." was all he muttered. Well, my job's done. Time for a break.
Shepard's fluttering eyes closed for the final time.