Earth, the homeworld of humanity. It had been a long time since Ashley had last been on Earth. Unfortunately that was a brief visit she had to make on Alliance business. This was going to be her first time visiting Earth for pleasure. Taking Anderson's advice, she was on her way to visit her youngest sister Sarah who was currently living there. It was Sarah who Anderson was talking about when he mentioned one of Ashley's sisters was getting married. With that in mind, there was no doubt that Ashley's mother would also be there helping Sarah with the wedding preparations. There was a small chance that Ashley's other sisters Abby and Lynn would be there too but it was her mom and Sarah that she needed to see the most. It wasn't that she didn't love her other sisters, her entire family was important to her. The reason she wanted to see her mom and Sarah was because they were the ones she was the most comfortable talking about…him.

While she was on the original Normandy, Ashley had received a video message from Sarah. In the message, Sarah talked about how Ashley had mentioned that she was currently serving with Shepard. Being the playful little sister that she was, Sarah teased Ashley by mentioning that she had seen Shepard on the news and thought that he was cute. To Ashley's horror, Shepard had just come over to her station to talk to her and overheard Sarah's comment. If it hadn't been for the fact that Ashley and Shepard ended up together, Ashley probably would have killed Sarah for making the comment. There was still a downside though. When Ashley told Sarah about her and Shepard, Sarah wouldn't stop boasting about how she had helped Ashley get a boyfriend. That aside, Sarah quickly became one of the two people she confided with about her relationship with Shepard.

As for her mother, Ashley didn't need to tell her about Shepard. Just like Anderson figured it out from Shepard's behavior, Mrs. Williams noticed that something was different about Ashley when she came home after the mission. She actually asked Ashley up front who the lucky man was that had stolen her heart. When Ashley asked her how she knew, Mrs. Williams just smiled and replied "a mother notices things like that, plus I've seen the same look you have on your face in the mirror when I was dating your father." Ashley was a little hesitant to answer because she knew her mother was aware of the Alliance's rules against fraternization. To her surprise, Mrs. Williams didn't seem to mind. Instead she appeared delighted just to hear that Ashley was with someone. She went on to explain that she didn't care what a bunch of admirals had to say about who her daughter could date. As long as Shepard made Ashley happy, that was all that mattered.

Because of the potential consequences that could happen if word got out about Ashley and Shepard's relationship, it was decided that Sarah and Mrs. Williams would be the only ones who were allowed to know. As much as it pained Ashley to keep such a secret from Abby and Lynn, she was secretly happy that she would only have to deal with one sister pestering her about her love life. As the relationship went on, Ashley would give her mother and Sarah updates on how she and Shepard were doing and it was always good. Then came the attack on the Normandy. When Ashley returned home after the Normandy was destroyed, her whole family was relieved to see she had survived until they noticed how sad Ashley was. Only Mrs. Williams and Sarah knew why and it was then that Abby and Lynn were made aware of Ashley and Shepard's relationship. Everyone did their best to help Ashley through her grieving but it was hard since Ashley spent most of her time locked in her room. When Ashley was about to return to active duty, her family was worried that it was too soon. Ultimately they accepted that it might be the best way for her to take her mind off of things and wished her well when she left on her first deployment. Ashley didn't see much of them the next two years but she made sure they knew she was doing okay whenever she could but no one talked about Shepard again.

Now Ashley was going to have to talk to her family about Shepard for the first time in two years. As she sat in the cab that was taking her to Sarah's home, she thought about what was going to happen when she arrived. She had sent a message to Sarah to let her know she was coming but she wondered if that was a good thing. By now everyone in the galaxy had heard the rumors of Shepard's unexpected return and supposed connection with Cerberus. Ashley was afraid that her family would bombard her with questions about if any of it was true. She had given her word to Anderson that she wouldn't repeat what they had discussed but she needed to talk to Sarah about Shepard. Not just to tell her the rumors about Shepard being a traitor were false but because she needed advice. If there was anyway that Ashley could save her relationship with Shepard, she needed to take it but she didn't know how. Any tips Sarah could give her would be a big help.

Finally the cab pulled up at Sarah's house. Ashley couldn't help but smile at the fact that the house was in a small, rural area. Their family had moved around a lot because of her father's deployments but for the most part they would always live in a small colony. Sarah apparently choose to live in a place that had a similar feel and avoided the major cities. In fact, Sarah's house reminded Ashley of what most people described as the ideal home, right down to the white picket fence that went around the yard.

Standing in the doorway to greet Ashley was Sarah. Sometimes it was hard for Ashley to believe that her baby sister was now a young woman and was going to be married soon. By looking at her, you could tell Sarah was Ashley's sister by the resemblance. The main difference between the two was the fact Ashley was a brunette while Sarah was a redhead. Even though Ashley was expecting it, she was still nearly knocked over when Sarah jumped at her to give her a hug.

"It is so great to see you sis," Sarah squealed, "how long has it been?"

"Apparently long enough that my baby sister got engaged while I was gone," Ashly replied while looking at the large engagement ring on Sarah's hand.

"Come on Ashley, how long are you going to call me your baby sister? As you said I'm engaged, I'm practically a woman."

"Yes but since we don't have any sisters younger then you, you will always be the baby of the family. Face it Sarah, I'm never going to stop calling you that."

Sarah sighed, "fair enough. Come on in, we have a lot to talk about."

"Indeed we do. Let's start with you telling me more about Thomas."

As Sarah showed Ashley into the house, she began telling Ashley the story of how she met her fiancé Thomas. To Ashley's surprise, Sarah said that Thomas was a Second Lieutenant in the Alliance. Ashley was the only one in her family who chose to continue the Williams tradition of joining the Alliance. Neither of her sisters wanted anything to do with the military life so hearing that Sarah was engaged to a soldier seemed out of character for her. Sarah went on to explain that she had met Thomas while he was visiting Earth on leave. He had come to the insurance company she worked for to buy a policy for his skycar. Sarah was the agent who helped him get the policy. It was love at first sight. Even after Sarah found out Thomas was a soldier, there was no denying the connection they had. Six months after they started dating, they were engaged.

While Sarah was telling her story, Ashley took note of how nice the inside of Sarah's house was. Just like it was simple on the outside, it was simple on the inside yet it still showed Sarah's personal style. Though it did seem a bit too girly for someone who was soon going to have a man living with her. Sarah picked up on Ashley's concern and explained that she and Thomas were going to pick out new furniture to make the space theirs and not just hers.

"Is that my Ashley I hear down there?" came a voice from the second level.

Ashley recognized the voice immediately and ran to the stairwell. Sure enough, coming down the stairs was her mother. Ashley ran up to meet her and the two embraced.

"I had a feeling you were going to be here Mom," said Ashley.

"Did Sarah tell you that I was staying here?" Mrs. Williams asked.

"No, I just remembered that you stayed with Abby too when she was about to get married. You just can't help yourself from getting involved in the wedding preparations."

Mrs. Williams chuckled, "I only want to see that my daughter's special day is a memorable one."

Ashley and Mrs. Williams hugged again. During their hug, Ashley managed to see Sarah at the bottom of the stairs. She was rolling her eyes and pretended her hand was a gun blowing her brains out. It took a lot for Ashley to hold in her laughter so as not to let her mother know what was going on. When the hug was broken, the two ladies rejoined Sarah downstairs and sat down in the living room.

"So Sarah told me that you were on leave." Mrs. Williams said to Ashley.

Ashley's smile vanished, "yeah, my last assignment didn't go well so Alliance Command gave me some time off."

"I'm sorry Ashley," said Sarah, "what happened?"

"Now Sarah you know we shouldn't ask Ashley about her missions," Mrs. Williams scolded, "it might be classified. Ashley will tell us if she's able to."

"It's okay Mom. I don't mind telling you but it's a long story. Basically I was supposed to keep a colony safe and I failed. If it wasn't for the unexpected reinforcements I got, the entire colony would have been lost."

"That's awful," said Mrs. Williams, "I'm sorry about the colonists but I am relieved to see that you're alright."

"Well, physically I am."

'What do you mean?" asked Sarah.

The moment of truth was here. With both her mom and Sarah here, this was the perfect time to tell them what was really bothering her. She took a deep breath to ready herself for what she was about to say next.

"The unexpected reinforcements I mentioned, it was Shepard."

As Ashley expected, Sarah and her mother didn't appear to be surprised by what she had said. They had obviously heard the rumors about Shepard too. She watched as the two of them shared a look indicating that they had talked earlier about how they were going to handle this situation. Finally Mrs. Williams spoke first.

"We had heard that Shepard was alive…and that he was working with that terrorist group. We thought about calling to tell you but given how badly you took his death, we didn't want to upset you more while you were on deployment."

Ashley nodded, "I appreciate that but it didn't matter. I had heard the rumors too. I jumped to Shepard's defense whenever someone brought them up. I never explained the real reason I was standing up for him but I was convinced that Shepard wasn't a traitor. When I saw him on that colony though with that Cerberus operative, I lost it."

"I can't imagine what it must have been like for you Ash," said Sarah, "we all know how close you and Shepard were. I just can't believe he would betray the Alliance like that."

"That's just it Sarah," Ashley said, "he didn't."

Mrs. Williams and Sarah shared a puzzled look. Ashley knew she needed to continue but first she had to choose her words carefully. She couldn't say too much because she was sworn to secrecy by Anderson but there had to be a way to explain what she meant without breaking her promise. Fortunately there was a way to do it. All she had to do was not mention that the Council and Anderson were supporting Shepard's mission. With that in mind, she continued.

"I found out that Shepard was not a traitor after all. He isn't actually working FOR Cerberus. He's out there trying to stop the colony abductions and he's only working WITH Cerberus to accomplish that."

"Are you sure Ashley?" Sarah asked. "I mean I hope what you're saying is true but I remember everything you've told us about what kind of a group Cerberus is. They don't seem like they would be the first people Shepard would go to for help."

"I'm sure Sarah. The person I heard this from is someone I trust. According to them, the only reason Shepard is working with Cerberus is because he couldn't get any help from the Alliance or the Council."

Mrs. Williams got up from her seat and sat down next to Ashley while putting an arm around her shoulder, "from what you've told me about Shepard, he seems like the kind of person who can't ignore people who are in need. He probably doesn't like the arrangement either but he's doing what he needs to do to help those colonists."

Ashley nodded, "I know that Mom. That's one of the things I loved about him. I just wish I would have remembered that when I saw him on that colony."

A concerned Sarah joined Ashley and Mrs. Williams when she noticed tears appearing in Ashley's eyes, "what happened Ashley?"

As the memory of what happened on Horizon flashed through Ashley's mind again, she broke down and hugged Mrs. Williams. Mrs. Williams was slightly surprised by the sudden embrace but quickly recovered and started patting Ashley on the back.

"It's alright sweetheart," she said trying to calm Ashley down, "just tell us what happened."

"Oh Mom," Ashley sobbed, "Shepard tried to tell me what was going on but I wouldn't listen to him. All I could focus on was the fact he was with a Cerberus operative and a female Cerberus operative at that. I accused him of betraying the Alliance and me. Not just because of being with Cerberus but because I assumed he had left me for that Cerberus operative. I thought I'd lost him when he was gone but now I might have lost him for good. Why would he ever want to come back to me when I accused him of such terrible things?"

Mrs. Williams and Sarah shared another look. This one communicated that they both now understand the whole story. Sarah then gave Mrs. Williams a questioning look like she was asking what they should do. Mrs. Williams just raised one of her hands and waved it up and down as a silent way of saying "everything will be fine."

When it came to matters of the heart, Mrs. Williams was an expert. Between her own experience with her husband and being a silent observer to the love lives of her four daughters, it seemed like there was nothing Mrs. Williams hadn't seen when it came to relationship bumps. True this one was a bit unusual because of Shepard being gone for two years but there was still something similar about this situation. However she decided this wasn't the time to talk about it.

Right now she needed to help Ashley relax. It was going to be tough to help Ashley with her problem when she was in this state. The best way to that was to think of something they could do that would make Ashley happy and take her mind off things. The perfect idea came to her right away. She broke her embrace with Ashley and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the tears from Ashley's eyes. While she did that, she pretended to be surprised by the time on a nearby clock.

"Oh look at the time," she said, "Sarah, weren't you going with Abby and Lynn today to get their bridesmaid dresses fitted?"

Sarah was confused by the question but sensed that Mrs. Williams had a plan and played along, "oh yes. They should be here any minute."

"Well then I guess it's a good thing Ashley got her leave when she did. She can join us and we can get her fitted for her maid of honor dress at the same time."

Now it was Ashley who looked confused, "I don't understand."

"Trust me dear, running errands with your sisters and me will be good for you. We'll have plenty of time to talk about this more when we get back and you've had a chance to relax."

Ashley was still taken aback by her mother's sudden move away from the conversation but she trusted her mother's judgement. She nodded and went upstairs to Sarah's guest room and unpacked her bags. By the time she was finished, her sisters Abby and Lynn had arrived. They were both surprised to see Ashley but were happy to hear she was going to be shopping with them. In fact, all five Williams women were excited for the trip as it was going to be the first time in awhile that they were doing something as a family.

The day started off a little awkward as Abby and Lynn both wanted to talk to Ashley about if the rumors were true about Shepard. Fortunately they were silenced when they noticed Mrs. Williams giving them a disapproving look. While the brief time spent on the topic made Ashley sad again, she couldn't help but laugh at how quickly Abby and Lynn were silenced by their mother's stare. As far back as she could remember, Mrs. Williams never needed to say anything to keep her and her sisters in line. Just giving them a look was enough to scare them into submission. As a soldier, Ashley was glad she inherited her mom's stares. They came in handy more than a few times in her career.

The rest of the day was spent at the dress shop. Sarah explained to Ashley on the way that she had picked out the dresses a few days ago. She went on to say that she was sure that Ashley was going to like the dress she picked out for her. Ashley would have been happy to hear that except she noticed Abby and Lynn shaking their heads and making grossed out expressions. At the store, Ashley realized why. The dress that Sarah had picked out was a pink dress with something that almost looked like pom-poms on the shoulders. Pink was never one of Ashley's favorite colors and the dress was way too girly for her liking. In her opinion it was probably the ugliest dress she had ever seen. She would have complained but she knew there was a reason for the dress being so ugly. It was common knowledge that bridesmaids dresses were supposed to look ugly so that the bride would look all the more beautiful in her wedding dress. When Ashley was in her dress and saw her reflection in the mirror, it was tough for her to hide her disgust.

"Sarah better look pretty damn beautiful in her dress so it will be worth the humiliation I get wearing this thing," Ashley thought, "if not, I guess I can always enjoy setting this on fire when the wedding is over."

After Abby and Lynn had been fitted for their dresses, the women enjoyed a nice dinner before they parted ways. Abby and Lynn returned to their homes while Ashley went with Sarah and Mrs. Williams back to Sarah's house. When they arrived, Sarah decided to turn in early and went to bed. As Mrs. Williams joined Ashley in the living room, she smiled as she was happy to see Ashley's mood had improved considerably since they left the house. She didn't like the fact that she was going to dampen the mood slightly by resuming their earlier discussion but this was the best time to give Ashley her advice.

"Did you have a good time today sweetie?" she asked Ashley.

"I had a great time Mom," Ashley replied, "you were right. Hanging out with you guys was exactly what I needed."

"I'm glad," Mrs. Williams replied, "I'm sorry if it seemed like I cut our conversation short by making you come with us but I knew nothing I said would've helped if you were too upset to hear it."

"That's okay, I understand. I would still like your advice though. I really need someone to tell me that it's still possible for Shepard and me to be together."

"Well I believe that anything is possible. You know, I had a similar problem with your father and we managed to stay together."

The comment surprised Ashley, "really?"

"When I was pregnant with Sarah, your father was on duty along the boarders of batarian space for most of the pregnancy. As my due date got closer, it was beginning to look like he wasn't going to be there for the birth. He was there when you, Abby and Lynn were born so I really wanted him to be there for Sarah too. I called him once to find out when he was coming home but he couldn't tell me. I probably would have been okay with that except the reason he couldn't tell me was because he was not allowed to. We fought about it and the last thing I said to him was that it seemed like he loved his job more than he loved his family. I knew it wasn't true but I was just so angry that it slipped out. For the next few days I thought about calling him to apologize but I was afraid he was so upset with me that he wouldn't answer. Then I saw a news report about a botched Alliance raid in batarian space in which all the soldiers involved were killed. The first thing I thought was that your father was one of the casualties."

"I think I remember that," Ashley said, "you were crying a lot during that time."

"Yes but it wasn't just because we thought he was dead. All I could think about was that I was mean to him the last time we talked. I hated myself for not apologizing when I had the chance. I can't tell you how relieved I was when he walked into the delivery room just before Sarah was born. That was the only time where I think the Williams curse was a blessing. If he hadn't been passed over when they were picking men for that raid…I'm sorry, I'm getting off topic. My point is that it's obvious you still care for Shepard and you are sorry about what you said to him. It also sounds like the mission that Shepard is on will be a dangerous one. If there's something that you want to tell him, you might want to tell him sooner rather than later."

With nothing more to say on the subject, Mrs. Williams gave Ashley a kiss goodnight and went upstairs to bed. Now alone, Ashley thought about what her mother had said. A part of her was still nervous that anything she could say to Shepard wouldn't make a difference. What she did to Shepard was terrible and she wasn't sure if she would forgive someone who did the same thing to her. Still she had to do something if she wanted to have any chance of salvaging their relationship. Shepard was not an unreasonable person so he might at least listen to her. Ultimately though, she had to do something because her mother was right. If Shepard didn't come back from his mission and she didn't say something, she would feel much worse than she did at that moment.

Her mind made up, Ashley entered Sarah's home office and powered up the terminal on Sarah's desk. She opened up her messaging account and was about to type when she realized that she didn't know Shepard's address. Without it, how was she supposed to send him a message? It was at that moment that she saw an indicator flashing next to her inbox folder. There was an unread message in it. When she opened the message, she saw that it was from Anderson. The subject read "When You're Ready to Talk to Shepard." Below the subject line was contact information that Ashley figured belonged to Shepard. Ashley quickly sent Anderson a message thanking him for the information and for everything else he had done for her the last few days.

Ashley then entered Shepard's contact information and was about to start typing her message but she stopped before she could enter the first letter. She knew what she wanted to say but for some reason sending a written message didn't seem like the best way for her to say it. Instead Ashley decided the best way was to send Shepard an audio message. A written message would be easier to compose but she wanted Shepard to hear the apology from her personally and not just read it. She took a few slow breaths to relax herself and then she hit the "record" button.