Six or so hours later, Williams woke in Shepard's arms. A wave of relief washed over her. Although they hadn't yet spoken about Ashley's careless words in the comm room, it would seem that Shepard hadn't abandoned her. Hadn't abandoned them. Knowing that Shepard needed as much rest as she could get after the clusterfuck that was Virmire, Williams decided to stay right where she was, in case getting out of bed woke the commander.

Williams couldn't help but smile. Shepard was the singularly most captivating women she'd ever met, and somehow she was lying here, in Shepard's arms. Williams wasn't the type to accrue notches in her bedpost - she preferred to think of herself as more of a "serial monogamist," looking for meaning in her pairings. The relationships might not always last long, but she needed a connection with her partner. She'd heard that Shepard was the opposite, avoiding entanglements at all costs. Word was that Shepard could charm almost any woman into bed, and did so frequently.

And yet, from the first moment Williams met the commander, she was irresistibly drawn to her. She was even almost willing to be a notch on Shepard's bedpost. Who was she kidding - there was no "almost" about it. She would have happily let herself be a conquest. Shepard was beautiful, confident, powerful, and more than a little dangerous. Not to mention sexy as hell.

Then that night in the gym, Shepard awkwardly fumbled her way through telling Ashley that she wanted more than a one-night stand with her. For Ashley that changed everything.

And Ashley shit all over it with her own stupidity. Ashley's smile faded, replaced by a crease in her brow. Why would she say that? How could she reduce what she was building with Shepard to mere fucking? Shepard had allowed Ashley to see her at her most vulnerable. Shepard had changed her entire approach to women and relationships for her. Shepard had put them out in the open aboard ship, rather than hide her in the shadows.

Oh god I hope I can make this right.

Ashley managed to sleep once more, but not before unsuccessfully trying to think of what words could counter what she thoughtlessly said in misplaced anger.

OoOoO

Nearly eight hours after climbing into bed with Ashley, Shepard opened her eyes, pleased and not a little relieved to find Williams still snuggled against her. Her pain meds had worn off, and Shepard's healing ribs were starting to ache. She needed to shift her body to relieve some of the pressure on the injured area. This woke Ashley, who rolled over, looking into Shepard's eyes.

"You're here," Williams said, simply.

"I'm here." Shepard grimaced as she propped herself up against the wall at the head of the bed. It made her ribs feel a bit better, but she was going to have to check back in with Dr. Chakwas soon for more meds.

Williams moved up to sit next to her, to make better eye contact. With a deep breath, she took hold of Shepard's hand in one of hers, intertwining their fingers. "I said a really stupid thing. This -" Williams gestured at the two of them "- this is much more than just fucking. Although the fucking is pretty great." Shepard couldn't help but smile a bit at that. "I know there's no way I can be worthy of you, but I -"

Shepard interrupted her with a sharp look. "You can't be worthy of me? Ashley, I just hope to hell every day that you don't figure out what a shit I am. You - you are wonderful. That's why when you said I was just . . ." She broke off, looking down at their fingers laced together. She took a deep breath. "I thought you might have realized I wasn't good enough for you. I mean, who leaves a crewman behind intentionally, killing him so that they can walk away. What kind of cold-hearted bitch must I be?"

Ashley felt tears threatening to fall. "Sloane, you do what no one else can or will. You did what was necessary. I had no right to . . . I would never. . . I just thought. . . I couldn't figure out why you'd save a Williams instead of an Alliance officer. I didn't want to be responsible for Alenko's death, not realizing that I was blaming you unfairly, and it made me say something really shitty."

Shepard gave Ashley a quizzical look. "Okay, there is a lot to unpack there, but first off, what did you mean by 'save a Williams'? Is 'a Williams' a thing I should know about?"

Ashley was surprised. "You don't know?"

"Obviously not. What did you mean?"

"You've seen my jacket, Shepard. Do I need to spell it out?"

This conversation was going in a completely unexpected direction than Shepard expected, but Ashley's reference to her military record tickled at something in the back of her head. She thought back to Ashley's evasions when Shepard asked about her string of shit postings and whether she would know any of Ashley's family that served the Alliance. Nothing in her files had given her any insight. But this seemed important to Ashley - important to them - so she followed up.

"Your record is spotless, Ash. You know that. There's nothing in there about why 'a Williams' is a bad thing. Is this related to the fact that somehow this is your first ship assignment?"

Williams took a deep breath. "My grandfather was General Williams. Of Shanxi fame. Or infamy, I guess. The only Alliance officer to ever surrender to an alien force."

Shepard let out a low whistle. "And you think this matters to the Alliance? To me?"

"I know it matters to the Alliance. It limited my father's career, and it sure as hell has limited mine. The night before he retired, far short of any decent rank, my dad told me that a Williams had to be better than the best, if only to avoid suspicion. I've worked my ass off, and you see how far it's gotten me. You have to be some special kind of dumbshit to march into a career where your family is blacklisted. But here I am."

"Here you are. A special kind of dumbshit." That earned a smile from Williams. "But I've studied Shanxi. Your grandfather held out a good long time. He did what he could."

"The Turians had wrecked the orbitals in the first wave and occupied the major cities. They sat in orbit dropping rocks on anything that moved. Granddad dispersed the troops, but when they went into the cities for supplies, the Turians would wreck a block to eliminate just one fire team. Civilians were dying. His troops were starving. And he couldn't contact Alliance high command. So he surrendered the garrison. He was slapped in irons and demoted for his efforts."

"He did it for the greater good."

"Yeah, for the greater good."

Shepard snorted. "The greater good is an awful bitch, you know that?"

Williams laughed softly. "Yes, ma'am, I sure do."

"What happened to your grandfather shouldn't have happened, Ashley."

"I know. But it's made me who I am. And for better or worse, it's why I thought I should have died on Virmire, not Alenko. And at that one, stupid moment, it made me question why you would even bother with me."

Shepard leaned her head over until it rested against Williams' shoulder. "Oh, Ash. I don't 'bother' with you. You make me want to. . . When I'm with you, I think I can. . . You are the most amazing woman I've met, and I don't want it to be like the others with you. I want to be with you. Not just fuck you. And god, how I wish I could just make words like a normal person."

"I'm pretty sure you just did, Sloane." Williams lifted Shepard's chin so they were looking into each other's eyes. She could see her own longing reflected in Shepard's deep green eyes, and it set her center on fire. Before she could act, Shepard had lifted Ashley up and placed her on her lap. Williams assisted in the final placement, straddling Shepard's hips with her knees. Before she could kiss Shepard, the commander grabbed her right side with both hands, grunting.

"Shepard? Are you ok?"

"It's nothing. Just a couple of broken ribs. Just give me a minute here."

"Just a couple of broken ribs? Are you kidding me? We have to get you back to Chakwas."

"Ash, no. I can wait to see the doc. I can't wait for this," Shepard said as she kissed the side of Ashley's neck. Her hands slid around Ashley until she had a firm hold on Ashley's backside. She moved Ashley's hips against her own, until Ashley picked up the rhythm herself. Her hands moved up to the bottom of Ashley's shirt, pulling it over her head. The bra was next, giving Shepard's mouth access to the chief's breasts. Williams tugged at Shepard's tee, easing it over her head. As Ashley moved to peel off her bra, she saw the dark purple splotches on Shepard's side, marking the broken ribs.

"Sloane, that's some serious shit. You really need to see the doc."

Shepard twisted around to see what Ashley was talking about. "Damn." She gave Ashley her best impish grin. "Not even a quickie? C'mon. . . it'll be like boot camp, hurrying up to finish before we get caught by the squad leader."

Ashley raised one eyebrow. "Your boot camp sounds like a hell of a lot more fun than my boot camp, Skipper." She was already reaching for her clothes. "But I don't want to be responsible for making things worse and having to explain that to Dr. Chakwas."

Shepard reluctantly reached for her own tee, sulking just a bit. "I've done more with worse. You owe me, though, Williams."

"Bring me a note from the doc saying it's okay, and we can do whatever you want." Williams said with a smile as she climbed off Shepard.

OoOoO

Less than two hours later, Williams turned around from her work at the weapons bench to see Shepard dangling a datapad from her fingers, a mischievous smile on her face.

Ashley felt her face flush as her mouth dropped open. "You did not!"

"I did too! Although I don't think the poor doctor will be able to look either of us in the eye for a while. I had to be very specific, just in case you got technical on me. It cost me two bottles of Serrice brandy, so it better be worth it."

Ashley worked enough moisture into her mouth to say, "I guess we should get started, then. How many things did you put on that list?"

"Enough to keep us busy for a while. I think you'll especially enjoy number eleven." With a wink, Shepard took Ashley by the hand and led her to the elevator.