A few nights later, Shepard found herself pacing around her quarters at 0240 hours. Once again, sleep was not her friend. She needed to get out of her cabin and stretch her legs, but could not bring herself to wander the decks as usual. Not after running into Williams. She didn't want a repeat of her Commander Awkward experience.
But as she paced, she wondered if it wouldn't be so awful to bump into Williams again, with no distractions around. Maybe she'd have her hair down again. Maybe they could have an actual conversation. Maybe they could sit close, within reaching distance. Maybe they could. . .
Shit. This wasn't helping with the whole not-sleeping thing.
Shepard grabbed a bottle of bourbon and a short glass and headed for the door, unsure of where she was going. She just needed to go somewhere. She paused before opening the door, and turned back into the room to set down the bottle and glass, and found her leather jacket. She shrugged it on over her white tank, thinking Hopefully I won't run into anyone this time, but if I do, the girls aren't going to get the chance to betray me again.
Picking up the bottle and glass once more, Shepard headed out the door and found herself en route to the gym. Not a bad idea - what idiot would be working out at this hour?
As she suspected (and desperately hoped), the gym was empty and mostly dark. She left it that way, and sat on the nearest weight bench. Shepard poured herself two fingers of bourbon, inhaling the aroma as she brought the heavy glass to her lips. She sighed as the amber liquid made its way down, savoring the warmth it left in its wake.
She lost track of how long she stayed like that, alone in her thoughts. With the glass of bourbon now half empty and on the floor beside her, she lay back on the weight bench, noticing that someone had left an empty barbell racked there. Poor gym etiquette. Not her problem tonight, though.
Her eyes slowly closed and her mind began drifting towards sleep when suddenly all the lights went on. Someone yelped her name - "Shepard!" - and she bolted upright, hitting her forehead solidly on the barbell above her.
"Fuck!" That was definitely going to leave a mark. A big one.
When Shepard could focus, she turned her head toward the door to see Williams standing there frozen with a slack jaw. A moment later Williams was crouched down at her side, looking worriedly at her head and apologizing repeatedly.
"Commander, I am so sorry. I had no idea anyone was in here. Shit. I am so sorry. I did not mean to disturb you and I definitely didn't mean to brain you. Damn, that's going to leave a mark. God, I am so sorry."
Williams pushed Shepard's typically mussed hair back off her forehead with one hand to get a better look at the damage, her fingers lingering on the side of Shepard's head sending sparks of heat down Shepard's spine. Glad I wore the jacket, Shepard thought. Pretty sure the girls are standing at attention right about now.
Shepard could only stare into Williams' eyes as the soldier examined her forehead. They were a deeper brown this close up. She inhaled. The chief smelled pleasantly of something metallic and. . . vanilla? Surprising. Her hair was down again. That's nice. The moment seemed to last forever, until. . .
"Shepard? Commander? Ma'am?" At that last, Shepard shook her head and rubbed at the lump that was rapidly forming on her forehead. Ouch. Williams had pulled back a little, taking her hand off Shepard's head, and was waiting for a response. "Are you okay, Shepard?" She looked so concerned, so genuinely worried. Shepard looked at Williams again, the corners of her mouth forming into a lopsided grin.
"Hey, Chief. So, do you come here often?"
Williams just stared for a moment, processing what she just heard then burst out laughing, any previous tension from the situation quickly fading. Shepard joined in, relieved that her comment had the intended effect. She had just wanted to relax the chief, and it seemed to work. Plus, the curve of Williams' throat as she threw her head back and laughed was hot as hell.
"Dammit, Shepard. I thought I'd scrambled your brains." Williams leaned back a bit and settled on the floor next to the weight bench. Shepard noticed that she was wearing a gray Marine muscle shirt and spandex shorts, obviously ready to work out. Who the hell heads to the gym at 3 in the morning? Besides me, I mean.
"Not for lack of trying, that's for sure! So, funny time to be hitting the gym, Williams."
"You're one to talk, Shepard. You were here first."
"Sure, but this is the only thing I was planning on lifting," Shepard replied, picking up her bottle.
Williams inspected the label on the bottle, raising her eyebrows and letting out a low whistle of approval. "Damn, Shepard. You've got great taste in booze. It's not easy to find the good stuff this far out."
Shepard glanced around the gym for a glass so she could share some bourbon with Williams, but came up empty. All she had was the bottle and her own glass. "I, uh. . . I've only got the one glass, but I'd be happy to share. I'm sure the alcohol kills any germs, anyways," she offered with another crooked smile. Williams accepted the glass without hesitation and took a deep swallow, followed by another, obviously enjoying the heat as it worked its way down her chest. Damn, that's sexy. Shepard always had a soft spot for women who could appreciate a good bourbon. Williams passed the glass back, and Shepard finished it off.
"What are you doing here at this hour, Williams?"
Williams chewed on the inside of her cheek for a minute, then settled on "Couldn't sleep. Thought I'd try to work off some energy."
Shepard paused, unsure what to do next but not ready to trust her instincts just yet. Especially since she should probably go get some medi-gel on this goose egg. She reluctantly made her decision. "I'll leave you to it, then. Try to get some shut-eye, though. We'll be hitting Therum tomorrow to pick up that Asari, and I'll need you fresh."
"Yes, Ma'am! And I am really sorry about the head."
Shepard stood, gathering her bottle and glass. "No worries, Ashley. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, she headed towards the door. On the way out, she paused and stole a glance back at Williams, who was headed towards the back of the gym. Damn, that's a fine ass. And I'm walking away from it. Shepard shook her head at herself, and instantly regretted it when the lump on her forehead throbbed with the movement. Better go find that medi-gel.
A few nights had passed since Ashley's failed attempt to - what exactly? Seduce her commanding officer? No - nothing that extreme. Well, not yet. She just wanted to get to know her better. And failed.
Ashley couldn't get her mind to settle. She couldn't get her thoughts off Shepard. It occurred to her that doing some mindless standard weapons maintenance sounded pretty good about now, but she didn't dare head down to the weapons bench. She wasn't ready to repeat her failure quite so soon. Maybe a workout, then. If she could exhaust her body, maybe her mind would follow.
So she pulled on her worn Marines muscle tee and a pair of spandex shorts, and headed to the gym. She was pretty sure it would be empty at this hour. She was still lost in thought as she reached for the light switch. As the lights flicked on across the gym, she noticed the still figure lying on the weight bench closest to the door. Shit, it was -
"Shepard!" In her surprise, the name came out like a strangled yelp.
The commander shot up, smacking her head onto a barbell sitting in the bench's rack. Williams found herself wondering what idiot left that there, then quickly left the thought behind as Shepard yelled "Fuck!" Williams just stood there for a beat, mouth open, wondering what sort of career limiting move she just made by giving her commanding officer a concussion in the middle of the night. Damn that Williams curse.
Ashley rushed over to crouch down at Shepard's side, spewing apologies. "Commander, I am so sorry. I had no idea anyone was in here. Shit. I am so sorry. I did not mean to disturb you and I definitely didn't mean to brain you. Damn, that's going to leave a mark. God, I am so sorry." Dammit, why can't I stop repeating myself? I'm babbling like an idiot.
She tentatively reached over to Shepard's head, pausing for a moment with her fingers just centimeters away from her hair. She needed to see what kind of damage she caused, but the very idea of touching that wonderfully tousled red hair distracted her. Putting that thought aside (for now), she completed the motion, pushing Shepard's hair back enough to see an impressive knot already appearing on the commander's forehead. She couldn't quite get herself to move her hand away, though, letting it rest gently in Shepard's hair. It's as soft as I imagined. I would love to lose my fingers in these strands, pulling her down to . . .
This close to her, Williams could see the lighter green flecks in Shepard's deep emerald irises. God, she has such beautiful eyes. She took a deep breath to clear her head, instead breathing in an intoxicating combination of leather, bourbon and a slightly musky. . . something. The essence of Shepard, no doubt. That's when she noticed Shepard's jacket, taking a second to regret that the leather covered Shepard's magnificent chest.
God, I'm a perv. Williams tore herself away from her wandering thoughts (for now, she promised herself again) and noticed that Shepard was just staring at her. Shit. I've made her knock herself silly. This is going to look bad on my record. Won't help my dating chances much, either.
"Shepard? Commander? Ma'am?" Williams put a bit more emphasis on that last, and it seemed to do the trick. Shepard started to shake her head and raise her hand to the lump on her head, when Ashley realized she still had her hand in Shepard's hair. She quickly pulled her arm back down to her side, looking at Shepard to see if there were any lingering effects to be concerned about. "Are you okay, Shepard?"
The corners of Shepard's mouth quirked up into that oh-so-sexy lopsided grin of hers, and she looked at Ashley and deadpanned, "Hey, Chief. So, do you come here often?"
For a moment, Williams had absolutely no response, trying to determine how confused Shepard must be. Then, seeing the glint of mischief in the red-head's eyes, she realized that Shepard was messing with her. Williams couldn't help herself - she burst out laughing, not in the least out of relief for not permanently damaging Shepard.
Shepard joined in the laughter, and Williams was pleased to see that she would be fine.
"Dammit, Shepard. I thought I'd scrambled your brains." God, that throaty laugh is hot.
"Not for lack of trying, that's for sure! So, funny time to be hitting the gym, Williams." Ashley certainly couldn't deny that. And she wasn't about to tell Shepard the real reason she was here. Not just yet. Time to deflect!
"You're one to talk, Shepard. You were here first."
"Sure, but this is the only thing I was planning on lifting." Shepard held up a bottle of bourbon. Actual bourbon. From Earth. And some good shit, too - 20 year Pappy.
Williams felt her eyebrows climb. "Damn, Shepard. You've got great taste in booze. It's not easy to find the good stuff this far out."
Shepard cast a look around the gym, then held out her half-full tumbler. "I, uh. . . I've only got the one glass, but I'd be happy to share. I'm sure the alcohol kills any germs, anyways." Ashley hadn't been angling for a sample, but there was no way she was turning this down. She wasn't particularly worried about sharing spit with the commander anyway, especially in light of the types of activities she was hoping for at some point with her. Williams tipped the glass back a couple times, savoring the flavor and warmth of the liquor. Shit, that is good stuff.
She handed the glass back with an appreciative nod. Shepard finished it off, then turned back to her.
"What are you doing here at this hour, Williams?"
Ah. Back to this. Williams figured the simplest response would be the best. And safest, for now. "Couldn't sleep. Thought I'd try to work off some energy."
There was a moment while Shepard seemed to consider this. "I'll leave you to it, then. Try to get some shut-eye, though. We'll be hitting Therum tomorrow to pick up that Asari, and I'll need you fresh."
Short of hitting the commander over the head again, Williams supposed there's no way to prolong the conversation at this point. "Yes, Ma'am! And I am really sorry about the head."
She watched Shepard gather the bottle and now-empty tumbler and head to the door. "No worries, Ashley. I'll see you tomorrow."
Williams lifted herself off the floor, staring at Shepard's retreating form. Damn, that's a fine ass. Not wanting to get caught ogling the commander, she spun around and headed for the pull-up bar at the back of the gym. She hadn't heard the door open yet, so she may have waggled her hips just a bit more than normal. Just in case anyone noticed.
She stopped short after the gym door shut as she realized something. Shepard called her Ashley. Not Williams, not Chief, not Soldier. Ashley. So, progress?
Williams was definitely going to have to work off some excess energy now.
