This Ash+Shepard one shot takes place several hours after the events happened in my first fanfic "Everything in the right places". I am very excited and kinda proud of this piece, because it took me a considerable amount of time and Herculean efforts to write it (I wish English was my first language!). Any feedback is more than welcome, especially constructive criticism.
Another powerful beam collided with the right wing of SR1 Normandy, making it absolutely useless. Little time was left before the starship would break into pieces, killing every living soul on its board.
"We can't fight any longer, Commander! Too much damage! We must evacuate the crew!" – cried XO Pressley struggling to keep his balance.
"Everyone leave your positions and head for sector 4!" – Shepard's order was transmitted into all parts of the slowly dying starship.
"No, I am not leaving! I owe all my life to this ship!" – Joker's eyes were red, full of anger and despair while he was hectically pushing buttons on the main control panel. He firmly decided to stay in his pilot chair no matter what.
"It's an order Lieutenant! Damn, do you want me to carry you to your escape pod together with that chair?!" – Shepard was mad with Joker's misplaced pertinacity. The last thing he wanted to hear at that moment was that kind of confession coming from any member of his crew. There was no time to waste if he wanted to be sure that everyone will leave the ship safely.
Ashley Williams was helping an injured marine close to Engineering. She didn't have time to suit up properly, so several plates from her heavy body armour went missing. As for weapon issue - Ash was armed to the teeth. It was hot like in hell down there (air-conditioning system was shredded into pieces by the attack) and she started to curse her untimely concern for "being ready for action" – the weapons were pretty damn weighty. Williams took the injured to his escape pod and helped him in. She was very tense and, after freeing herself of heavy human burden, several dark locks cut loose of her usually tight knot and now were covering her face. Ashley got couple of seconds to catch her breath. She turned hearing familiar voices. Liara T'Soni was running in her direction. Shepard and Pressley were following the young Asari, carring Joker in their arms, who was flinging mud at every living being in the Galaxy and swearing to take vengeance.
"Williams, how are you doing?" – Shepard was also fully armoured, his forehead covered with sweat.
"Been better, Skipper. I guess someone is very bad at farewells," – Ashley gave Joker a nod of recognition.
"You bet! This stubborn ass is heavier than he seems!" – said Commander breathing out loudly.
As gently as the situation allowed Shepard pushed Joker into his escape pod. Liara and Pressley jumped into theirs and three of them disappeared from Commander's view in the next couple of seconds. Shepard looked at Williams.
"Your turn, Ash."
All of a sudden a huge piece of Normandy's equipment fell to the ground crushing one and damaging two out of four remaining escape pods.
"Crap! Is there any chance to run any of those damaged ones manually?" – cried Ashley with a faint note of panic in her voice.
"The whole system is automatic. I might try to reach one of the main computers on the bridge and do something from there." – said Shepard in surprisingly calm voice after a long pause.
He looked at the only unharmed escape pod left, grabbed Ash's elbow and led her towards it.
"What the hell are you doing?! I am coming with you!" – cried Ashley with indignation trying to free herself from Shepard's firm grip.
He let her loose when they stood right in front of the opened pod. Ash turned her face to his and looked right into Shepard's dark blue eyes.
"I am not leaving you," – she said stressing every word.
"I know."
He seized Ashley's face with his both hands and pulled her closer for a passionate kiss. Still tasting her lips Shepard made a brusque movement and pushed Williams into the escape pod quickly enough for her to have no chance of getting out. It took Ash couple of seconds before she realized what happened and started desperately banging on the pod's door. Shepard was looking at her with sad smile, his eyes full of pain and acceptance of the grim reality. And just before Williams was thrown out into the open space, he put his hands on her escape pod and said "I love you, Ash."
"Please…No..." escaped from Ashley's lips. She was lying in her bed breathing heavily, her eyes half opened. Reality started absorbing her slowly. The tantalizing images of the past stepped back and the picture of her small bedroom gained its usual place in Ashley's mind. Her hands were cold and she could still feel fast beating of her heart. Ash closed her eyes again, gave a deep sigh and… smiled. She caught a familiar scent: fresh with a hint of watermelon and green apple – her favourite one. Shepard used this fragrance only for special occasions. Ashley stretched her hand to run into Shepard's firm naked torso. She snuggled up to him and dozed off.
Shepard wasn't asleep. He was watching Ash breathing, her head lying on his forearm. He began to study her body with his eyes trying to remember every inch of it, as if it was the last time he was going to see her. Suddenly he heard a buzz coming from the room where he left all his clothes. It was Cerberus communicator that Miranda Lawson gave him couple of days ago. Shepard gently released his hand and tiptoed into the hall.
"Yes," – Commander's voice was clearly expressing irritation.
"I have been updated on our first target, Shepard. She goes by the name of Subject Zero. An interesting specimen: powerful biotic with some mental issues. We are heading for Terminus Systems in…"
"Listen, I told you I am here on business," – he cut Miranda without apologizing. "And we agreed that you won't interfere until 10 o'clock."
"Look at you watch, Romeo."
"Da-amn it,"- drawled Shepard.
It was 10:01 p.m. He silently cursed Miranda for her enraging punctuality.
"And by the way, HE won't be happy after learning that you wasted our time on your cute little girlfriend," – said Miranda in a high tone.
"Then don't tell him," – said Shepard through clenched teeth. "Meet me at Flux in one hour."
"Twenty minutes, Casanova," – snapped out Miranda and went off the line.
He wasn't prepared for this kind of attitude and stood still gazing at communicator with his eyebrows raised for several seconds. Not too much time was left and he had not the slightest idea what to tell Ashley. Shepard dressed up quickly and put on his omni-tool. He closed his eyes thinking over how he should start his confession. It was impossible to find anything appropriate in his chaotic head no matter how hard he tried to concentrate. Shepard opened his eyes, put the omni-tool off and began to walk up and down the room for a couple of minutes. Then he put his omni-tool back and pressed REC button.
Ashley stretched herself with pleasure in the huge bed. The hectic life outside made it known that it was early Saturday morning, two or three o'clock – just the time for going out in this part of the Wards. Ash drew in the air seizing Shepard's eau de cologne and put her hand on the side of the bed where she left him several hours ago. But there was no one in there: the part was neatly covered with bedspread. Shepard was a pedant, he never left his locker, desk or bed in a mess unlike her. She must have dropped off to sleep really deeply if she didn't hear him doing the bed. Ash closed her eyes tight and buried her face in her hands. He left without even saying goodbye. Suddenly an idea flashed across her mind that he might simply got hungry and went to the nearest restaurant to order a take away as her fridge usually contained nothing but several Coke cans or cranberry juice and a bowl of salad. Then she saw something orange glowing on one of the pillows and her heart sank. It was a small flash drive - Aramali Council omni-tools often had a set of those.
She knew where all this was going, all her hopes were broken against this tiny piece of plastic. Ash was madly in love for the first time in her life. She lost all her confidence and strength when Shepard forced her into that escape pod during the attack on Normandy. Then a limitless source of energy, euphoria and a strong longing for life stormed inside her when he came back. She didn't hear any explanations from him, he was alive and he was with her and that's all she needed. But now she cursed herself for being so selfish and stupid. He looked a bit preoccupied, but she misinterpreted it, maybe he was trying to tell her an important thing, but her body was craving for his and she couldn't resist it. He was certainly up to something on Galactic scale and now she had to content herself with this small lifeless electronic device to explain what the hell was really going on.
Ashley inserted the flash drive into her computer and in a couple of seconds a dark hologram with Shepard's image appeared before her.
"It should've happened differently,"- began Shepard. "I really wanted to tell you everything looking right into your eyes, but the bloody circumstances are beyond my control and I have to play coward using this thing. I am a selfish bastard, I know. My visit to your apartments was unplanned, but I couldn't do otherwise. Coz I love you, Ash. And you were, are and will be the first thing I'll think about while waking up or going to sleep. I had to see you, to kiss you, to touch you. I want your power, optimism and recklessness to absorb me, because I will really need them during the mission I was sent to. Yeah, I am going on the mission and it'll be more staggering than chasing a rogue Specter,"- he smiled sadly. "And the stakes are higher. But I am planning to come back to you, no matter what I'm going to face there. I have a great spur to return now when I am sure that you are still in love with me." Shepard paused for a second casting down his eyes and then added with a bit flirty tone. "And don't even think of pouting at me for not bringing you along! You will simply distract me every time when I try to concentrate on saving this Galaxy again. Bullshit? Well just the image of you wearing those mind-boggling heels today will keep me distracted at least for a week! That is another thing that I am slowly absorbing – your sense of humour. You are one of a kind, Williams. Shepard's out."