A/N: I've written and re-written the next 3 chapters about 127 times. Pacing and sequencing is hard sometimes. I don't think I'll ever be entirely happy with it, so I'm just gonna push it out.


Shepard had Joker take the scenic route back to the Citadel. She had received a communication from Udina to report back to meet with the Council and discuss a joint-species fleet that would pursue Saren and his geth. It seemed to be the first remotely useful thing the Council was considering doing since Eden Prime. Nonetheless, Shepard had been burned by the Council before. She wanted time to prepare for any possible outcome, good or bad, and would report back when she knew she was ready for as many contingencies as possible.

Shepard also wanted to ensure that her crew was back to full health before taking on Saren. Her own broken ribs and hand were nearly healed, but a few extra days would definitely help. She suspected there were a few other injuries on board that would similarly benefit.

Planning would be key. She needed as much information as she could get. For this, she relied primarily on Dr. T'soni. Liara was singularly focused on her research (Perhaps to avoid dwelling on the fact that I killed her mother?) and had determined that Saren was headed for the planet Ilos. Liara continued to look for any additional information about the planet and the conduit. Shepard set up daily meetings with her, partly to review her findings, and partly to make sure she was okay after Noveria.

Shepard estimated that to complete her preparations, such as they were, she'd need to delay their return to the Citadel by at least five days. It was probably as long as she could reasonably get away with without being fully insubordinate.

OoOoO

That first night out of Thessia, on the way back to the Citadel, Shepard had the all-too-rare chance to spend some time alone with Ashley. It had seemed like an age since they had the luxury of sharing a few drinks, a few stories, and a few moments of pleasure with each other.

Afterwards, Shepard lay awake, comfortably drowsy but unable to settle into sleep. She gazed at the woman sharing her bed with her. Mine. She is mine, and I am hers. Shepard wondered when she began to think that. Lying there with Ashley asleep in her arms, legs tangled together and mixed sweat drying on their bare skin, the thought came unbidden. Mine. Being with Ashley was a new kind of experience for her. A wonderful new kind of experience. And a wholly unexpected one. And also a little bewildering. And more than a little terrifying. She wasn't sure how to navigate an actual relationship, and she certainly didn't want to screw anything up while she figured it out. A relationship. When did it become that? To Shepard's welcome surprise, for the first time in her life she didn't mind the idea. In fact, she found that she wanted it very much. Mine. As Shepard finally succumbed to sleep, it echoed warmly in her head. Mine. It felt as if she had accessed something previously undiscovered and marvelous within her, something she didn't know she could feel. She is mine. And I am hers.

OoOoO

The next morning, Ashley uncharacteristically woke before Shepard. She found herself lying on her back, with Shepard's head nestled in the crook of her shoulder, her tousled copper hair tickling Ashley's nose, an arm tossed across her stomach. Ashley shifted her own arm slightly, careful to not disturb Shepard, and placed her hand softly on the small of Shepard's back. She dared not get out of bed. In part because she did not want to wake her lover; Shepard needed as much sleep as she could get. But mostly because she wanted to just enjoy having the woman she loved in her arms. The woman I love. Ah. There it was. Not just a lover. The woman I love. There was no going back now.

Ashley was a realist. She was aware of Shepard's track record, or more accurately the intentional lack thereof, when it came to relationships. But she also knew that Shepard was interested in something more with her - that much had been made delightfully, awkwardly clear on a couple of occasions, and once more painfully so. What that something was had yet to be determined. What Ashley didn't know was how Shepard might react if she knew that Ashley had fallen for her. Would Shepard be spooked? Would she think Ashley foolish? Would she be able to reciprocate? As she lay there, Shepard in her arms, Ashley considered a number of ways things could play out if she were to tell Shepard how she felt, and decided she really had absolutely no idea what would happen. And she didn't want to risk whatever they did have. Best not to rush, then.

She was in no hurry, though. She could wait. She rested her cheek on Shepard's head and wrapped her other arm around Shepard's shoulder. So long as she had mornings like this, holding the woman she loved, she could wait.

OoOoO

By the time the Normandy was less than a day from the Citadel, Shepard could see a marked increase in the sense of urgency in the crew, no doubt a reflection of her own state of mind. She wanted nothing more than for the Normandy to be at the head of any fleet the Council finally decided to send after Saren. Accordingly, over the past few days, Shepard had spent every waking moment (and many moments when she should have been sleeping) reviewing intel, modifying her strategies, holding mission prep briefings, speaking one on one with the crew and verifying equipment readiness.

Unfortunately, this had also meant very little time with the chief. The best Shepard could offer were a few moments of passionate groping in an empty hallway in passing or a stolen kiss when Williams managed to linger behind alone after a briefing.

For her part, Williams spent nearly all of her time on the weapons and other equipment. Working with the supply chief, she gathered up as many armor mods as she could to ensure that the ground teams would have the best protection against geth weaponry as possible. She had a number of weapon mods that they had collected, and she mixed and matched improvements to best complement her squadmates' strengths.

And so on that last evening before arriving at the Citadel, Williams found herself at her customary position in the hold, putting the final touches on the team's equipment to ensure that it would be ready to go as soon as they got the green light for Ilos from the Council. She'd had a late lunch on her own (mainly energy bars), and had been planning on working through dinner assuming she would grab something later. It was better to make sure everything was done first; food could wait.

Shepard walked through the mess at dinner, and noticed the conspicuous absence of one Gunnery Chief Williams. She hadn't seen her at lunch, either. Concerned, Shepard went to look for her; this wasn't the time for skipping meals. She knew where to start her search.

As she stepped off the elevator in the storage hold, she spotted Ashley standing at her familiar place before the weapons bench. She paused, silently catching the attention of Wrex and Garrus, who were finishing up a last minute repair on the Mako, and with a jerk of her thumb sent them towards the elevator. She responded to their suggestive leers with a lascivious grin of her own as they passed by. Approaching Ashley on light feet, she managed to get right behind her unnoticed, placing her hands on either side of Ashley's waist. Shepard's lips hovered just above the nape of her neck, her hot breath sending tingles down Ashley's spine.

"That better be Shepard, or someone is going to lose an arm."

Shepard laughed softly and closed the last few inches between their bodies, snaking her arms forward until her hands met below Ashley's navel, pressing her breasts firmly against Ashley's back and kissing the sensitive spot just beneath her earlobe. Slipping under Ashley's uniform, Shepard's hands roamed up along Ashley's stomach, not stopping until she reached her breasts, cupping one in each hand, while she continued to sprinkle kisses along Ashley's neck. Ashley sighed, leaning her head back on Shepard's shoulder.

"You need to take a break and eat something, marine."

Turning around and taking note that they stood alone in a now-empty hold, Ashley raised an eyebrow, mischief gleaming in her eyes. "Challenge accepted!" Chuckling at the puzzled look on Shepard's face, she put one hand on Shepard's chest and pushed her back into a darkened corner behind the Mako, using her other hand to untie her hair, letting it fall down her back. Shepard swallowed hard at the predatory look on Ashley's face as the chief maneuvered her, heart pounding in her chest.

Satisfied that they were generally hidden from view of any unexpected visitors stepping off the elevator, Ashley pushed Shepard back into the wall, kissing her hard and fierce, one hand around the back of Shepard's neck. The other hand urgently sought the zipper of Shepard's pants. Target found, Ashley yanked the zipper down, snaking her hand quickly down the front of the commander's pants, eliciting an uncharacteristic squeak from her lover. Delighted to find that Shepard was already wet for her, Ashley rubbed circles against Shepard's hot center with the flat of her fingers, pausing for the occasional teasing of a fingertip at her opening. Shepard whimpered quietly, pressing herself against Ashley's hand.

Ashley pulled back from the kiss with a pop, and moved both hands to the waistband of Shepard's uniform pants. She brought the trousers down as she dropped to her knees, nudging first one of Shepard's ankles, then the other, to get Shepard to lift each foot so she could quickly and efficiently remove her boots and pants, casting them aside.

Placing a hand on the inner part of each thigh, Ashley parted Shepard's legs, the better to access her now-dripping sex. Ashley lifted one of Shepard's legs and placed it on her strong shoulder, kissing where the leg met Shepard's body, fingertips running up and down her thigh. Shepard's breath drew in sharply in a hiss. Mindful of how little time they had, she skipped past any further teasing, taking two fingers to stroke along Shepard's opening. As Shepard's hips bucked forward at the touch, Ashley looked up to see Shepard with her head thrown back, eyes half closed, lips slightly parted, breath coming in shallow pants.

Smiling to herself, Ashley ghosted her tongue along Shepard's folds, pausing only to just barely exhale against her slick center. That earned a series of muttered curses from Shepard.

"Fuck, Ashley." Shepard whispered above her.

Wrapping a hand around the thigh on her shoulder, Ashley flattened her tongue and stroked the length of Shepard's sex, taking her time to savor Shepard's taste and scent. Shepard groaned, tangling the fingers of one hand in Ashley's hair and using the other to brace herself against the wall. Ashley continued licking along Shepard's opening, stopping short of her apex each time. Shepard began squirming, trying to get Ashley to make contact with that most sensitive spot. Giving in, Ashley flicked the tip of her tongue against Shepard's clit, using her free hand to continue stroking Shepard's wet center with the pad of her thumb.

Ashley could see that Shepard was close, so close. Circling her clit with her lips, she began to suck gently, alternating with occasional pressure from her tongue. She pressed her thumb more firmly against Shepard's opening, not quite penetrating, increasing the pace of her strokes as Shepard bucked against her. Ashley looked up and locked eyes with Shepard looking down at her, knowing that she was teetering on the edge. Gazing into Shepard's emerald eyes, she began flicking her tongue back and forth across her clit until Shepard's thighs quivered and her eyes closed and she breathed, "Ash. . ."

After Shepard stilled, Ashley moved Shepard's leg off her shoulder, only to feel strong hands grab her by the front of her uniform and pull her up. Shepard kissed Ashley hard, mouth open and tongue pressing, tasting herself on the chief's lips, moaning into her mouth. Then Shepard pulled away, putting her lips just past Ashley's jaw. Ashley could feel Shepard's mouth curve in a smile as her voice rumbled in Ashley's ear, "Mmmm. So much better than the quickies at boot camp."

That earned a swat to the shoulder. "Shepard! You have got to be fucking kidding me."

"What? It was! Now where are my pants?"

A few quick kisses and caresses later, Ashley was holding Shepard's boots and Shepard was still zipping up her pants as the two walked around the side of the Mako, only to see Tali halfway between engineering and the elevator, frozen in place. The two women exchanged a glance, unsure of how long Tali had been there and what she may have overheard. Assuming the worst, Shepard offered a cheery, "Care to come eat something with us?" as they all stepped onto the elevator. Ashley almost choked trying to smother her laughter.