A/N: A series of one-offs spanning the month after the Battle of the Citadel.
The Normandy stayed docked at the Citadel for nearly a week after the battle with Sovereign. Shepard wanted to give her crew well-deserved shore leave. She was also reviewing reassignment requests, both for current crew members who wanted a change of scenery and soldiers seeking to serve under Commander Shepard. The trick was weeding out the requests submitted by jock-sniffers and those made in earnest. The process left her with a headache every evening.
Shepard gave Williams the option to transfer. She didn't want to stand in the way of the chief's potential career advancement; she knew how important it was to Ashley to clear the Williams' name in the Alliance. Based on her performance on the Normandy, she would have her pick of assignments. Although Shepard probably wouldn't admit it to anyone, she was very relieved when Williams confirmed that she wanted to stay on board.
To Shepard's surprise, Liara, Wrex, Garrus and Tali wanted to continue on as part of the crew. They had proven themselves valuable in the fight against the geth, so she was happy to have them, although she knew it would not last. Wrex would find something more lucrative; Tali's pilgrimage would eventually end; Garrus would soon chafe under her authority. Liara, though - Shepard thought she might actually stick around for a while. She seemed to have developed a taste for battle. Shepard couldn't argue with that. She loved it more than most herself. Plus, Liara had become a good friend. She was pleased that she was planning on staying, for however long it might be.
Six days after the Battle of the Citadel, the Normandy was once again underway, investigating reports of potential geth activity.
OoOoO
Shepard lay contentedly with her head on Ashley's chest, drawing lazy circles on the chief's stomach with her fingertips, Ashley's arm around her back. She loved those still moments that followed the peaks of pleasure, sweat evaporating off their skin, heart beats steadying, breath slowly evening out, voices slightly hoarse from their cries of ecstasy. She'd never experienced it with anyone before. Usually she'd be dressed and out the door before her conquest could form a coherent thought. But with Ashley. . . with Ashley she craved those moments, cherished them.
"I'd like to tell my mom about you, Ash. Maybe arrange for us to meet up with her when her ship docks at the Citadel in a few weeks."
Ashley felt a burst of warmth in her chest, but still couldn't help a bit of teasing. "Taking me home to mother?"
Shepard chuckled. "Well now it just sounds silly when you say it like that. Never mind."
Ashley shifted a little to face Shepard, and was relieved to see the tell-tale half-grin that meant the commander was teasing her back. Sometimes Shepard could be delightfully infuriating. "I would love to meet your mom, Shepard."
"Good. Because I already told her about you and I've already made the arrangements. After we check into those reports of geth sightings in the Terminus System, we'll head back to the Citadel and I can introduce you."
"You're awfully sure of yourself, Sloane. What if I didn't agree?"
Shepard leaned in to kiss Ashley. "Never considered the possibility." And she hadn't. She simply couldn't imagine a future without her marine by her side. In fact, she'd never wanted something so much in her life.
OoOoO
Shepard leaned back against a crate, watching Ashley inspect the team's armor. She'd offer to help, but she knew the marine would just check everything herself again anyway. Instead, she simply enjoyed the view. Seeing Ashley in her sleeveless tee, strong shoulders flexing, sure hands moving over the equipment, still sent waves of heat through her body. Unable to resist any longer, she moved forward, circling her arms around Ashley's waist, kissing that spot behind her ear that she knew made Ashley go weak in the knees.
"How about we take a walk to my cabin?"
Ashley leaned her head back onto Shepard's shoulder. "Mmmm. You temptress."
Shepard slipped one hand under the waistband of Ashley's fatigues, seeking after the heat building between Ashley's legs. "C'mon. You could use a break. This will still be here in an hour." Ashley moaned quietly, pressing her ass back against Shepard's hips. Shepard's fingers teased along Ashley's slit, then suddenly withdrew. Ashley whimpered at the lost contact. Shepard turned Ashley around, taking her by the hand and leading her to the elevator. Ashley needed no more convincing.
OoOoO
Shepard set a cup of coffee on the table in front of Ashley, sitting across from her with her own, slightly larger, mug. The mess was fairly empty this early in the morning, allowing them a table to themselves. Ashley was looking at a datapad in her hand.
"I got a letter from mom last night. She's glad that I'm seeing someone, even if I did get a short lecture about the extra stress that comes with a relationship with a soldier." Ashley smiled. "My sisters seem a bit more excited about it. They seem to think you're some sort of dashing hero."
"Hey! I am a dashing hero!"
"A dashing hero with a bit of egg on her lip, Shepard."
Shepard flicked her tongue over her lip. "It just enhances my image. Keeps me real. Otherwise nobody would believe how perfect I am."
"I'll admit that I like my dashing heroes with a bit of egg," Ashley said, with a squeeze of her hand on Shepard's knee. "And you are perfect."
Shepard and Ashley sat at the table in the commander's quarters, sipping from generous tumblers of scotch. Shepard always kept a bottle or two on hand for Ashley now; the thoughtfulness of the confirmed bourbon drinker was not lost on the chief. Ashley held the hand that Shepard rested on her thigh. She was surprised at how much she enjoyed just sitting with Shepard, talking and laughing easily together. She appreciated how Shepard could relax so completely with her, allowing her to see the more human side she kept hidden from the rest of the world. And she knew that this is what she wanted for her future. No one and nothing else.
"Penny for your thoughts, Chief." Ashley turned her eyes to see Shepard smiling warmly at her.
Ashley carefully considered her words. "Just thinking about us. How much I like us. This is it for me, Sloane. You're it for me. I can't see myself with anyone else ever again."
Shepard leaned in towards Ashley, locking eyes with her. "Good. Because I have no intention of letting you go. I am yours. Completely. I love you, Ash. I'll always love you. There's nothing I want more than to have you, and only you." She closed the distance between them, kissing Ashley tenderly. Ashley wrapped a hand around Shepard's neck, tangling her fingers in her hair.
"I love you, Sloane," she breathed, before deepening the kiss.
OoOoO
Shepard set her datapad down on her desk, rubbing her tired eyes with the palms of her hands. She stretched her neck from side to side, hearing a satisfying crack. Turning her chair around, she looked over at the beautiful woman sleeping in her bed. Ashley lay sprawled on her back, her dark hair splayed on the pillow, the sheets tangled around her waist, her bare breasts rising and falling with each breath. Shepard couldn't help but smile when she heard a faint snore as Ashley shifted slightly in her sleep. Somehow her marine made even a snore seem terribly sexy.
Shepard quickly stripped off her clothes and shimmied under the covers next to her love. Her fingers trailed from Ashley's collarbone down between her breasts, her hand flattening against her ribs. Ashley stirred, turning toward Shepard. "Mmm. Done working?"
"For now. You didn't have to sit here and wait for me. But I'm glad you did." Shepard placed feather-light kisses along Ashley's shoulder as her hand tightened around Ashley's waist, rolling Ashley onto her side to face her and pressing the length of their bodies together. Ashley captured Shepard's lips with her own, tongue probing. Her hand found Shepard's ass, increasing the pressure of Shepard's hips against her, eliciting a low groan from the commander.
In one quick motion, Ashley flipped Shepard onto her back. She nudged Shepard's legs apart and lay between them, rocking her hips gently against Shepard's. Tangling her hands in Shepard's hair, she kissed her, raking her teeth along Shepard's lower lip. Shepard moaned into her mouth and arched into Ashley, her fingers digging into Ashley's back. Ashley broke the kiss, biting and nipping down Shepard's neck, stopping to suck at the spot where neck met shoulder. Shepard growled with pleasure. Ashley continued to move downward, taking Shepard's breasts in both hands, squeezing them softly while licking and sucking first one nipple, then the other. Shepard was surprised at how close she was to coming undone already.
Ashley moved a hand down Shepard's stomach, not stopping until she found the wet heat between Shepard's legs. She worked her fingers up and down Shepard's slit, circling the apex at each stroke. Her lips and tongue continued to lave Shepard's nipples, moving back and forth between them. Shepard's breath came in short, ragged gasps. Sliding down Shepard's body, Ashley lifted Shepard's legs onto her shoulders, giving her full access to Shepard's sex. She teased at Shepard's opening with the tip of her tongue as Shepard muttered profanities. Ashley brought her tongue up and down Shepard's slit, intoxicated by the taste of Shepard's arousal. Ashley knew just the right pressure and rhythm needed to bring Shepard to her peak with only her tongue and her lips, and soon Shepard's thighs tightened against the sides of her head as Shepard cried out her name. Ashley softly licked at Shepard's clit, allowing her to ride one more smaller wave, before moving up to lie next to Shepard, one arm wrapped tightly under her breasts as she buried her face in Shepard's hair.
Shepard took a few shuddering breaths before rolling Ashley onto her back and kissing her, bringing a hand down to Ashley's throbbing sex. Ashley instantly bucked into her hand. "I need to feel you inside me, Sloane. Please," she growled. With no hesitation, Shepard thrust two fingers into her, rubbing up against her front wall. While she moved her fingers in and out, slowly at first and then more quickly, she sucked on Ashley's nipple, tugging on it with her teeth. Ashley's hand grasped the sheets as her back arched and she was reduced to quick, panting breaths. Shepard curled her fingers slightly, increasing the rhythm until she could feel Ashley's walls quivering. Once Ashley stilled, Shepard withdrew from her, bringing her hand to her mouth and licking Ashley's juices from her fingers as Ashley watched. She rolled on top of Ashley, kissing her deeply, their tastes mingling together on their tongues.
Ashley managed to catch her breath just enough to say, "I love you, Sloane."
"I love you, Ash."
Neither of them could have imagined that this would be the last time they would make love before Shepard died.
