Chapter 5

As the door shut behind Kaidan, Shepard sat down in one of the chairs on the balcony, and Ashley took the other. Both women looked over at Vega standing awkwardly by the door.

"Sit down, Lieutenant," Shepard said, smiling. "We're off duty here."

Vega shifted, eyes slanting away from the women. "If it's all the same to you, ma'am, I'd rather stay here." He put his hands behind his back at parade rest.

Ashley raised an eyebrow while pretending to sip her drink, and Shepard struggled to contain a laugh. It was bizarre and impossible, but… it felt just like old times.

"So, Lieutenant," Ashley said, a smile tugging at her lips. "Where did Shepard pick you up?"

"Uh," Vega faltered, glancing at Shepard. She pretended not to notice, grinning to herself. Would he admit that they'd first been introduced as jailer and incarcerated criminal? Vega was a good soldier but he sort of hero-worshipped Shepard. Flattering, if slightly confusing. He seemed to consider the Alpha Relay Incident not worth mentioning since it was the event that stained her name to the rest of the galaxy.

"Uh," Vega coughed, heat rising to his face, "I, uh, think I'll see if Commander Alenko needs help at the store." He nodded to Shepard and exited the room.

Ashley let out a laugh. "You really know how to pick 'em, Skipper."

Shepard chuckled. "That's me: attracting armed crazies since 2183."

They sat in companionable silence for a moment, sipping their drinks. Shepard had time to examine Ashley's face, tracing the familiar lines of a woman who'd been a subordinate and then something almost like a sister before she'd died.

"Ash, it's so good to see you," Shepard said, voice thick. "You don't know how bad I wanted to go back for you..."

Ashley shook her head. "Nah, none of that now, Skipper. That's old news. This is now."

Shepard raised her glass. "To the future."

Ashley touched her glass to hers. "To the future."

"Speaking of the future," Ashley said in a sly voice, "You and the LT..."

Shepard cleared her throat. "It's Staff Commander Alenko... and... I'm going to need more of that stuff before I tell you anything." She wiggled her empty glass.

"You need more fizzy lemonade?"

"Hey, don't knock it. I run on this stuff!"

"Don't change the subject! That all but confirms it!" Ashley gloated, leaning forward in her chair. "All right, spill! I want details! The juicier the better."

Shepard shook her head, feeling heat come to her cheeks. "I'll have to give you details later, but after Virmire..." She fiddled with her glass. "There was a... deciding moment… when things… came together for us."

"At night?" Ashley asked shrewdly. When Shepard nodded, Ashley let out a whoop of delight. "I knew it! Joker owes me fifty credits!"

"You had a bet?" Shepard tossed a throw pillow at the other woman.

Ashley caught it, still laughing. "Of course! Joker was sure that the LT wouldn't be able to toss the regs out the airlock, but I'm glad to prove him wrong." She stood to get refills for them and plopped down in the chair again.

"So…, wow, if you two have been together since then," Ashley mused, "it's been…"

Shepard fiddled with her glass. "Actually we're… on a break?"

"What?"

Shepard winced. "He didn't react well to…" She paused. "Well, it's a really long story that I'll have to tell you about later. Suffice it to say… we have some issues to work through."

"Eh, I'm sure it's nothing a little lacy lingerie can't fix," Ashley said, waving it off.

Shepard laughed.

"Something to eat? I'm starving." Ashley stood and retreated to the kitchenette again. She spent awhile rummaging around in the fridge.

"Skipper?" Ashley said, her head still stuck in the fridge. "Have you ever wondered... if God cares?"

Shepard looked up, surprised at the sudden change in topic, but answered the question seriously. "Yes... I have wondered at times. Dark times... But... you and I had this talk before, Ash." She smiled uncertainly.

"I know... but sometimes... sometimes it seems like there's so much bad... so much that's just wrong and nothing is being done to fix it."

Shepard stood up, looking out over the balcony at the bright lights of the Wards. "He did do something," she said with quiet conviction. "He sent people like you and me; people that care enough to do something about the bad things."

"God didn't send me, Shepard."

She heard a click and looked up with a horrible sinking feeling in her gut to see Ashley pointing a gun at her, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Skipper. You don't know how much."

#

Kaidan hurried outside the apartment, heading down until finding a secluded corner away from potentially listening ears. "EDI," he said quietly, tapping his omni-tool, "I'm uploading some files. Could you examine them for any signs of alteration?"

"Certainly, Commander. One moment please," came the AI's smooth voice.

Kaidan felt guilt churning in his gut. He wanted to believe in Ashley; wanted to believe that she'd beaten the odds, that she could come back and take her rightful place as a valued member of the team that was going to defeat the Reapers. But… he'd never believed in ghosts before, and he wasn't about to start now. He almost told EDI to stop her scan but swallowed it down. If Ash was who she said she was, then the file would be clean.

Please be clean, he begged. For Shepard's sake.

While he was waiting on EDI, Vega came around the corner, looking surprised to see him.

Kaidan frowned. "Why did you leave the apartment?"

Vega shrugged. "I felt out of place as they were reminiscing. I figured it would be safe enough..." He looked confused. "Why are you here, sir? Did you get your upgrade replaced?"

At that moment, EDI chimed in from Kaidan's omni-tool.

"Analysis complete. Commander, these documents have indeed been falsified. They were created using Cerberus encryption protocols."

Kaidan swore. Drawing his sidearm, he motioned Vega ahead of him, back toward the apartment.

"Sir? What's going on?"

"Those medical files," he explained, heart beginning to thud in his chest, "they're not real. Ashley… that woman with Shepard isn't who we thought she was."

Vega's broad face went grim and he moved quickly up the stairs. At the door, Kaidan reached for the interface and heard a sound from within that made his stomach bottom out: a gunshot.

"Shepard!" Kaidan slammed the door release and ran through, Vega hot on his heels.

Shepard and Ashley were locked in a fight to control the gun, which was in Ashley's hand, but pointed up and away. Neither of them seemed to be injured, but Ashley was slowly moving Shepard back toward the balcony.

"Ash! Stop!" Kaidan shouted, but the two women didn't pay any attention.

Vega also had his sidearm out, but he glanced at Kaidan, unsure.

At that moment, Shepard managed to break Ashley's hold on the gun, dropping it to the floor. One of her legs kicked it aside. Vega ran forward, grabbing it off the floor and getting it safely out of reach.

At that moment, however, Ash tripped Shepard. She had to back step wildly to regain her footing and hit the low wall of the balcony. She tipped backward, still holding onto Ashley.

Kaidan could only watch in horror as both women tumbled over the edge.