Shepard stood in the cockpit with Joker, ready to dock at the Citadel. She was nearly bouncing on her toes with impatience. When Alliance Control failed to respond the Normandy's requests for clearance, the impatience gave way immediately to wariness. "Try the emergency channels, Joker."
Shepard was more than a little surprised when Thane responded on one of the emergency channels. "Shepard! The Citadel is under attack. Cerberus troops are everywhere, and they're in control of the docks."
"Are you safe?" Shepard worried for her friend.
"No. I had to evade commandos at the hospital. I'm hunkered down in a storefront on the Presidium."
Shepard's heart turned to ice. Ashley was still at the hospital often, to monitor her recovery. "Do you know where Ashley might be?"
Thane's answer was not entirely comforting. "She was at the hospital, but we were separated. She said something about having to protect the Council." Shepard's jaw tensed. She wasn't sure that Ashley was physically ready for the stresses of battle.
Thane was going to head for C-Sec HQ. He suspected it was compromised, and C-Sec would be unable to respond until it was retaken. Shepard gave Joker orders to bring the Normandy closer to C-Sec HQ, indicating that her team would deploy in the shuttle. She would rather look for Ashley and make sure she was safe, but duty required that she secure C-Sec first. Fucking duty.
Retaking control of C-Sec was a bloody affair. Garrus and his sniper rifle proved to be invaluable as they faced wave after wave of Cerberus soldiers. Liara's biotic barriers saved Shepard's ass more than once.
Shepard asked Bailey to establish contact with the councilors, hoping to confirm that Ashley was with them and still standing. He had not been successful, although he confirmed that they were alive. Unfortunately, the Salarian councilor was not with the rest of the Council. With a disgusted sigh, Shepard told Bailey she'd go track him down, instructing him to continue to try to raise the rest of the Council or anyone with them.
Thane's timely intervention saved the Salarian councilor from execution by a sword-wielding assassin. That's new. Shepard learned from the Salarian that Udina was working with Cerberus to try to take control of the Citadel. That son of a bitch. During her pursuit of the assassin, Bailey confirmed that the rest of the Council, including Udina, was still alive and headed for a shuttle pad near Shalmar Plaza. The same direction the assassin was heading.
Shepard couldn't allow Udina to bring the rest of the Council - and Ashley - to the assassin. With Bailey's assistance, Shepard and her team navigated access tunnels, service corridors, and elevator shafts until they reached the elevator car carrying the Council. Shepard jumped onto the car, only to be surprised by a burst of fire through the roof. Despite her creeping exhaustion, Shepard rolled out of the way but was unable to avoid one round that pierced her armor, lodging in her thigh. "Fuck!" Her armor immediately dispensed medi-gel to the wound, which minimized the pain at least temporarily. She was going to need to get the round out soon, though.
The elevator lurched to a stop.
OoOoO
When the attack began, Ashley was at the hospital undergoing still more tests before she reported for the day's duty at Udina's offices. As soon as she realized what was happening, she headed for the Council chambers, to provide protection for Udina and the other councilors. She ran into Thane as she dodged panicked patients in the lounge, yelling her intentions as she ran past.
Reaching the entrance to the Council offices, Ashley found the guards freshly dead. Bursting through the doors, she quickly dispatched a group of Cerberus soldiers before they could reach the councilors. The Salarian councilor was missing, but Ashley gathered the other three together, intending to evacuate them to safety. Their best option was the shuttle bay near Shalmar Plaza.
The going was slow. With no back-up, they kept out of sight as best they could, creeping around side corridors and using service elevators. Ashley made good use of her new Spectre sniper rifle, eliminating threats from a distance before they could report on their location.
Ashley and the three councilors were on the elevator to the Shalmar Plaza shuttle dock when she felt the impact of what could only be their pursuers on the roof of the elevator car. She immediately drew her heavy pistol, spraying fire overhead. She heard muffled swearing above her as the elevator came to a stop. She quickly ushered the councilors out ahead of her, training her weapon behind her to cover their retreat through the elevator lobby.
As they passed through the lobby doors, Ashley spotted the smoking wreck of the shuttle she had intended to use to transport the council off the the Citadel. "Fuck! Everybody back to the elevator!"
Ashley spun around, hearing the lobby doors close and lock, her pistol at the ready. Aimed right at Shepard's head. Shepard's own weapon was up and trained back at hers. Shit.
They stood like that for a long moment, each unsure of the intention of the other in the heat of frenzied battle.
OoOoO
Shepard busted through the access panel on the top of the elevator car, dropping down and running through the open doors of the elevator and the lobby. Ordering Garrus to shut and lock the door behind them to keep their Cerberus pursuers at bay, she raised her weapon and saw… Ashley.
The first thing Shepard noticed was the pistol leveled at her face. Completely abandoning her years of training and experience, the second thing she noticed was how beautiful Ashley looked holding that weapon, with her jaw set at a determined angle and her eyes sparkling with battle fever. Fuck me. Shepard was momentarily distracted by the heat blooming in her chest.
Ashley's weapon wavered just the slightest bit. Seeing Shepard was unexpected. Seeing the unmistakable look of lust on Shepard's face was even moreseo. Somehow she kept her pistol trained on Shepard as she assessed her options.
Udina inadvertently clarified things for her when he blurted out that Shepard was obviously working with Cerberus, the one thing Ashley knew would never be true. Ashley kept her weapon up, still standing between Shepard's team and the Council behind her, but relaxed her stance a bit. "Shepard. What's the situation?"
Shepard watched as Ashley shifted her weight to her back foot, pushing her hip out. Her tongue flicked out across her lower lip. Ashley raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her. Shepard's voice cracked a little as she responded. "Udina is behind the attack." Shepard subtly slid her weapon over to train it just over Ashley's shoulder, on the human councilor behind her. "The Salarian councilor confirmed it. Udina is working with Cerberus."
Udina scoffed. "You have no proof. You never do." He began to move to a nearby control panel.
Ashley rolled her eyes and muttered, "I'm going to regret this," as she turned, raising her pistol towards Udina.
Surprisingly, Tevos stepped forward in Shepard's defense. "We've disregarded Shepard before. And it has not gone well for us."
Udina turned to Tevos. "We don't have time to debate this. I'm opening those doors and we're getting out of here."
Ashley exchanged another look with Shepard. Shepard was still looking at her with unabashed raw desire. Ashley couldn't help herself. She mouthed Seriously? Now? Shepard shrugged helplessly, the corner of her mouth quirking upwards.
Udina reached out to the controls. When Tevos tried to stop him, Udina threw her to the ground, pulling a small pistol out and pointing it at the asari. Someone yelled, "Gun!" Without hesitation, Shepard and Ashley simultaneously each fired a single round into the center of Udina's forehead, just centimeters apart.
At that moment, Bailey unsealed the doors to the shuttle doc and entered with a small crew of his own. Shepard sent them to see to the surviving Council members. Her adrenaline and medi-gel were fast wearing off, and that round lodged deep in the muscle of her thigh was starting to hurt like hell. She moved over to a nearby bench, settling herself down with her right leg extended forward to try to ease the pain. Ashley broke away from the asari councilor, and rushed over to her.
"Shepard, are you okay?" Ashley took Shepard's hand, wincing when Shepard squeezed it a little too hard.
Shepard grit her teeth. "Goddammit, some asshole shot me through the top of the elevator."
Ashley went silent for a moment, dropping to the bench beside Shepard. "Oh. That was you?"
Shepard looked at her, and burst out laughing. "That was you?"
"It's not funny, Shepard. I shot you!"
"Yes you did, Ash."
"I am so sorry, Shepard."
"I've had worse. Just means you'll be doing all the work for a while." Shepard flashed a sly grin at Ashley.
Ashley returned the smile, then suddenly sobered. "Shit! I held a fucking gun on you, Shepard."
"I know."
"I pointed a gun at you."
"I know! God, it was so fucking hot." Shepard smiled.
"For fuck's sake, Shepard. I held a goddamn gun on you. Pointed at your head."
"I know! You looked good doing it." Shepard leaned over, putting a hand around Ashley's waist and pulling her close until their lips nearly touched. "I may have been a little aroused."
"A little?"
"More than a little." Shepard kissed Ashley, shifting to press their bodies closer. The movement sent a jolt of pain through Shepard's leg, and she pulled back, hissing through her clenched jaw. "I might need to take care of this before we do anything else, Ash. Can you ask Liara to call Joker, and have him send in a shuttle for a pick-up?"
OoOoO
Ashley half-carried Shepard from the shuttle to the med-bay. The round in her leg seemed to have moved deeper through the tissue, and she was unable to walk unassisted. Ashley refused Dr. Chakwas' offer of an exam, instead directing her to treat Shepard first. She helped Shepard onto a table, removing her armor and piling it on the floor. She stood at the side of the table as the doctor cut away Shepard's compression briefs. Ashley winced when she saw the angry wound up high on Shepard's leg.
"Shit, Sloane. I am so fucking sorry about this."
Dr. Chakwas misinterpreted the reason for Ashley's apology. "Lieutenant Commander Williams, you can't blame yourself. You can't always protect the Commander in battle."
Shepard chuckled softly through her pain as Ashley's cheeks reddened. She couldn't quite look the doctor in the eye. "Actually, Dr. Chakwas, this time I can blame myself. I'm the one that shot her."
The doctor's eyebrows climbed up her forehead. "Really now? I'll need to hear this story over a brandy later. In the meantime, let's see if we can remove the round. Commander, I'm going to sedate you for this. It seems to have lodged against the bone, and it's not going to be pleasant to dig out."
Shepard nodded her assent, reaching over and squeezing Ashley's hand before her eyes closed.
OoOoO
While Shepard slept off the effects of the sedation, Dr. Chakwas gave Ashley a thorough exam. She had reviewed the medical records Dr. Michel had forwarded from Huerta Memorial, and wanted to be sure that Ashley's exertions didn't result in any setbacks in her recovery. So far, she hadn't found anything to indicate that Ashley would need to be readmitted to the hospital. Despite her ability to successfully safeguard the Council on the Citadel, Dr. Chakwas still recommended that Ashley be limited to light duty until she was certain she could handle the rigors of combat. But light duty was still duty.
Which meant that Ashley was officially free to pursue a transfer back to the Normandy.
