Author's note (for those of you who care): Whilst I wanted to writte on my main-fic (and only fic)The idea for this one-shot didn't let me go, so I decided to make this first. Also I don't think this needs a follow up, but I have quite a few ideas for short stories/ one-shots that I might write out or finish one day, but my main fic will stay the focus for now. Anyway, hope you'll enjoy the read and feedback is much appreciated.
Dead world, dead end?
A dead world. That is where they stood. A barren place with no form of life left standing, all except for two figures. Two figures standing tall, a few meters away from each other, yet they barely saw each other through the swirling ash helplessly flowing where ever the wind so desires. A slight ray of yellow light kept their surroundings from falling into darkness, the rest of the sun's light blocked out by the buildings that once graced the sky. Skyscrapers that now lay collapsed into each other, forming a makeshift bridge above their heads.
One of them wore black armour with an iconic red line running down her one arm. The N7 logo on the chest piece. She looked at the silhouette of the lady standing in front of her, she could barely make out the blue colours of the armour. Dressed in Spectre's armour Ashley looked back at Shepard.
"I had never thought we'd meet like this." Asley said, her voice slightly lower pitched because of the helmet's speaker she spoke through.
"I had never thought we'd meet again." Shepard sounded harsh, bitter.
Ashley moved forward and looking through the ash and darkness the silhouette slowly coloured and sharpened. She stopped when she stood right in front of her and noticed how the black armour was nothing but shreds, barely holding together. "I didn't believe it, but I should've trusted you Shepard."
"You still don't dare to call me by my first name?"
"I judged wrong. I judged you wrong."
"You did." Shepard sneered.
Ashley snapped, the arrogance in Shepard's voice was unbearable. "Why are you doing this to me? What the hell's wrong with you! I apologize and all you do is spit it back in my face!"
"You deserve it for judging me, for calling me the traitor and simultaneously betraying me!"
"Think of Horizon Shepard, what did you do? You didn't care for me, only for your own gain! You figured having me on your Cerberus ship would be 'fun'! You hadn't even considered my feelings, my obligations and then you judged me, you spread around your self-pity, even to Joker!"
"No! I saved the galaxy and now I'm doing it again. What did you ever do in that time? What did you actually achieve Ashley?"
"Remember the old Normandy? Who kept you on your feet when you were grounded? Whose picture stood on your desk when you were going through the Omega 4 Relay?"
Shepard stumbled, she struggled to keep standing. Was it confusion or exhaustion? "How-how do you even know that?"
Ashley grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up, but dodged the question, there was no need to get others involved in this, she continued. "I loved you Shepard."
"Call me by my name Ash! Call me by my damn name!"
"It's always been about you hasn't it? Look around you, what do you see?"
"I've always fought for the galaxy! Why are you allowed to throw such insults around and why am I not?"
"What do you see?"
Shepard looked around her, she looked, but didn't see. "What am I supposed to see?"
"This is it Shepard. Not much left, is there? We'll die here tonight."
Shepard looked around again, carefully this time. It hit her. Hard. Ashley was right and she hadn't even noticed. "But-" She fell down, crawled to a pile of rubble, her hands groping to find grip, and sat herself against an upstanding piece of metal. A long sigh followed. "I know. I'm tired."
"So look at yourself. Why fall back in defence? Why should we even fight over anything anymore? Empty your heart, He will appreciate it."
"He?"
"My own dad. Oh and, Y'know, the one that made this universe and stuff."
"There's no He for me, Ash. Maybe for you there is, but not for me."
"But what if there is a God for you too?"
"I believe there is a God for neither of us. What kind of God would create us? No one's that cruel."
She wanted to argue about it, but Ashley let it rest, no more arguments, instead she shifted subject. "Can we agree that we were both wrong? That we've wronged each other?"
"Yes we can and deep down-" She swallowed, it was obvious, she tried to do it as unnoticeable as possible, but it had only focused her more on it. "-Deep down we know we agree."
"There is something I've always wanted to tell you, I almost said it once. When we were grounded. I wanted to say, no, I want to say that you…make me feel good enough." A tear rolled from her eyes onto her cheek.
Shepard coughed. She was out of breath and so tired. "Sit next to me Ash. Be with me. I don't need a He, I just want to know I ended something with someone right."
Ashley sat down next to her as she was asked to. "It's right, damn right, Shepard." She put an arm around her, her fingers squeezing Shepard's armour. "We're damn right…Jane."
"I guess the hell has left the cat, huh?" Jane said, whilst smiling.
"Yeah, the 'hell' has no place with this kitty anymore. What about you?"
"I'm done being a Shepard." Jane said, whilst realising how she had never thought herself though, how she should've known herself a little sooner and how she could've known Ashley better if she had.
The sun was going down, it was going to be a cold night on earth, the two figures questioning if they'd ever see the end of it and the beginning of dawn. The scrapers above their heads, the rubble all around them, the lack of all life, weren't a pretty sign, but maybe not an all telling sight either.
"Hey, remember the days on the SR-1, kickin' some mysterious reaper ass?" Ash said.
"Yeah, they were real butthurt after that."
"Remember how we just did that again, incidentally saving the galaxy in the process?"
"Like yesterday."