Author's Note: After some thought, I've decided to add a continuation to my original one-shot. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect.

If Today was Your Last Day

Part 2

"Fuck the Council and Fuck Udina," Ashley muttered under her breath. It was sadly typical for them all to ignore the threat presented by Saren, and she was frustrated that the rogue Spectre was carrying out his diabolical plot and they were helpless to prevent him.

"I'm not sure I'd want to fuck either the Council or Udina, they wouldn't fit in my bed," Garrus joked, although Ashley sensed he was only saying that reassure her. He was just as angry as she was.

"So, do you want to go hang out at Chora's?" Ashley inquired cautiously. While she'd fallen in love with Garrus as a result of a crazy Groundhog's Day time loop, she knew Garrus' feelings weren't as strong and she didn't want to push too hard and scare him away.

"It beats staying on the ship."

With that the pair departed the Normandy each carrying a pistol just in case they got attacked by rioters. After all, the crew wasn't exactly popular among the residents of the Citadel at the moment. Chora's Den was the same as always with asari strippers and sketchy clientele. They ended up taking seats at the bar. Garrus ordered a dextro beer, while Ashley opted for a mojito.

"So, what exactly is in your drink?" Garrus asked as the bartender placed their drinks in front of them."

"It's got rum, mint leaves, club soda, and lime juice," Ashley explained. "One of my father's ancestors was from Cuba, so it's my way of honoring them. I know it probably seems a bit silly…."

"I think it's sweet," Garrus replied. "In turian culture you're supposed to honor your ancestors."

"Wait is that why you all always seem to say 'spirits' all the time?"

Garrus actually laughed. "Yeah, I suppose you could say that."

Suddenly, the awkwardness between them dissolved and they swapped hilarious stories about their respective experiences in boot camp over booze and snacks. It was late by the time, they decided they'd better head back to the Normandy. While they both were normally excellent fighters neither were willing to take any chances with alcohol in both their systems.

"Wait you really swapped your drill sergeant's gun magazines for Penthouse," Ashley inquired in disbelief. "How the hell did you manage to get your hands on them?"

"There's a fairly decent amount of bored recruits willing to trade stuff either for money or something they want," Garrus admitted. "Of course, I ended up on bathroom duty for a month because of that stunt."

"Damn, I don't think I'd have the guts to prank my drill sergeant," Ashley said as she laughed. She'd known Garrus was a bit of daredevil, but pranks in boot camp was ballsy even for him.

"Well I was reckless and annoyed that he kept berating me for not being a 'model turian'. I've never been able to not question orders if I thought they were wrong. You probably guessed that when you witnessed being chewed out by my manager."

"To be honest, I haven't really faced an order I thought was wrong," Ashley uttered. "I've been pissed when I kept getting crap assignments, but none of my COs have ordered me to do something I didn't feel comfortable doing. I'm not sure what I would do. I'd prefer to imagine that I would object if we were about to commit war crime, but I'm honestly not sure. Serving in the military is in my blood. I don't know what I'd do without it."

"I'm sure you'd find something Ashley," Garrus countered. "You're a gifted, talent woman who can adapt to change."

"Thanks, Garrus. I suppose I kind of needed to hear that right now. You're as talented as Shepard when it comes to giving pep talks."

Garrus chuckled, his fringe twitching in amusement. "I don't think any of us can compete with someone who talked down a criminal being manipulated by a sentient plant."

As they stepped into the airlock and the decontamination process began, Ashley reflected that for once in her life she was truly happy. She'd broken the tedious cycle, fallen in love, and saved Kaidan. Plus, she'd recently received a letter from her mother reporting that all was well with her sisters.

"Now we just have to kick the bad guy's ass into next week and everything will be perfect," she thought. "Or as perfect as it can get around here."

Speaking of Kaidan, said man was pacing back and forth nervously as if he was awaiting some catastrophic event.

"If you're not careful LT you'll wear a hole into the floor," she joked.

"Shepard left to attend a meeting at Flux with Anderson," Kaidan explained. "To discuss the issue of the Normandy being grounded."

Belatedly, Ashley remembered that Kaidan still nursed a bit of a crush on the Commander. "I'm sure she'll be fine LT."

Just then, said Commander burst into the room with her short blond hair frizzed up. "Joker, we need to be airborne in five minutes before we get caught."

"Wait, did we just steal the Normandy?" Ashley queried, her throat constricting like a snake. Everything was happening so fast it felt like someone jumped from the pause button to fast forward on a tv.

"Well it's either that or allow Saren to utilize the Conduit and destroy the known galaxy," Commander Shepard countered, before leaving to inform Joker of the coordinates to Ilos.

…

That night there was desperation to their coupling, because it was entirely possible that one of them wasn't coming back. Fortunately, due to the rest of the crew being caught in preparations for the journey to Ilos they were able to get some privacy.

"Are you, all right?" Garrus asked her afterwards. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Ashley shook her head vigorously, unwilling to admit that she loved him. "No, you haven't. I'm fine and we should probably get ready in case Shepard wants one of us on her team."

…

The dress shoes pinched far too tightly, as Ashley sat with her squad mates. She'd been to funerals before, including her father's. But this one was different. Maybe, because the Alliance praised Shepard as a martyr while concealing evidence of the Reaper's existence. Maybe, it was because she wanted to scream at God that this was unfair, and why did he have to smash poor Liara's heart into a million pieces? The asari sat still as a statue, with the occasional salty tears streaming down her cheeks revealing she was actually flesh and blood.

After the funeral, the group ended up at a dingy bar that Kaiden swore served the best Canadian lager. Liara politely declined, and Tali left after an hour so as not to miss her flight back to the migrant fleet. She cautiously sipped the drink, which burned down her throat like liquid fire. Ashley felt herself struggling to bottle up her emotions. It wouldn't do to explode in front of her squamates, when they needed her to be the strong one. A talon gently squeezed her right hand from under the table and for the first time all day Ashley Williams smiled.

…

Ashley's knuckles tightened up instinctively as she scanned the third recruitment letter sent by Cerberus. She would give them credit for their persistence. While Alliance Command hadn't ordered her to infiltrate Cerberus, it was suggested that it may be of great benefit to Alliance in general intel wise. Ashley wasn't used to making decisions regarding her future in the military and this one was quite perplexing. She needed advice from someone who wasn't in the Alliance who could be trusted not to spread the news around. Ashley booted up her laptop and logged into her email. Then she typed her message with an encryption Garrus had taught since she didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands.

To: GVakarian

From: SickofShadows

I won't waste time with pleasantry and admit I'm in a bit of a conundrum. The Alliance isn't ordering me to infiltrate Cerberus, but they're suggesting it would be an excellent plan even though I a. know nothing about spying, b. would probably end up blowing my cover, and c. wouldn't know how acquire useful intel.

Any suggestions as to what I should do would be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Ashley Williams

To: SickofShadows

From: GVakarian

Ashley,

Just so we're clear I'll support you either way, but I have faith that you could do this, if you put your mind to it. Gathering intel is easier than you think. Just be a listening ear like Shepard was and so much intel flowing into your hands you won't know what to do with it all.

Sincerely,

Garrus Vakarian

Ashley was grateful for Garrus' support even if said support was sporadic due to Omega's fluctuating extranet connection. However, it wasn't because of the Alliance she was saying "yes". It was a compelling responsibility to Shepard's twin brother. She couldn't save Shepard, but she could save Eric. She nervously dialed up the number typed on the sheet of paper and waited patiently for a response.

…

Ashley winced as objects were tossed to and fro in the room next door. From the sounds emanating from the room, someone wasn't pleased. In fact, she almost felt sorry for Miranda Lawson, even if she was an uptight bitch. Calming down someone who was that irate wasn't a pleasant task. The door slid open and a masculine version of Shepard burst out of the room, his tan skin flush with anger. He glared daggers at Ashley as though this predicament of his was all her doing. Getting close to Eric Shepard would be more difficult than she'd initially anticipated.

"I don't understand why I have to work with her," he hissed. "I've done perfectly fine on my own in the past."

"It has been decided that you would benefit from Ms. Williams' experience serving in the Alliance," Miranda replied calmly. The raven-haired woman was excellent at orating bullshit explanations, Ashley acknowledged since the true reason Eric was present was because she'd asked to work with him.

"Well I'd like to lodge an official protest to this!" Eric countered.

"If you can't accept this new arrangement you are free to part ways with Cerberus."

Eric gulped at Miranda's ultimatum, and glanced back and forth between the two women. Cerberus was an intrinsic part of his life, and he was obviously reluctant to throw it away even if he despised his new teammate. Finally, he swallowed heavily. "I guess I can live with it," he said with a huff.

"Excellent, I'll give you some time to get acquainted with each other," Miranda replied, before departing from the room.

Ashley was about to say something when Eric finally turned and faced her, his blue eyes cold as ice. "Listen, I know you worked with my sister, but I'd prefer you don't bring her up, since as far as I'm concerned she abandoned me when the batarians attacked Mindoir."

Any explanation of Ellen Shepard's pain died on her lips, and all Ashley could do was nod. She needed to befriend Eric before she could persuade him to leave Cerberus and arguing about his sister's actions would be counterproductive.

…

Eric grumbled under his breath as the pair were summoned by Miranda for a "classified mission". Ashley didn't take his complaints personally since being ornery was ingrained deeply into Eric Shepard's nature. The journey to the mysterious space station containing Project Lazarus was a long, awkward one. Miranda Lawson looked as composed and put together as she usually did her form-fitting uniform devoid of wrinkles and not a hair out of place, but there was a slight wariness in her eyes that was unusual.

"Just in case you didn't receive the memo, what you are about to view is extremely classified and shouldn't be shared to anyone outside this room," Miranda explained.

"We got the message when you insisted we utilize that clunker of shuttle to get here," Eric complained.

Ashley didn't chastise him, because a part of her privately agreed. She'd just learned to keep any uncomplimentary thoughts to herself, since it wouldn't improve the situation. With her lecture completed, the women ushered the pair into a white, sterile room so bright with fluorescent lights that Ashley blinked her eyes as they gradually adjusted to the blinding light. In the center of the room was a hospital bed equipped with all the latest monitors. And in the bed… Ashley gasped her airway constricted like a snake. Ellen Shepard who had died two years previously was lying in that bed, her chest rising and falling. There were scars embossed all over her body that glowed a sickly yellow, but apart from that the Commander looked healthy for someone who'd died in the vacuum of space.

Eric appeared to be on the verge of expelling the contents of her stomach, and Ashley didn't blame him. She probably would have reacted similarly if it was one of her sisters.

"What kind of sick game are you playing Lawson?!" he spat.

Miranda's eyes flashed briefly with sympathy. "I understand this a shock to you, but the Lazarus Project operated under complete secrecy. It was only recently I was able to obtain permission to bring you onto the project."

"Could we have a minute alone?" Ashley requested. Eric looked on the verge of falling apart.

"Of course," Miranda said. "I need to go over the latest reports Wilson's compiled for me anyways."

As soon as she left, Eric yelled. "Fuck! How could this be happening to me?!"

"This is a surprise to me too," Ashley admitted. She was also calculating how to inform the Alliance of this without getting caught. This changed everything about her mission.

"And you know, I still want to be pissed at her for leaving me. But at the same time, I'm happy she's alive. Is that screwed up or what?" Eric inquired.

"Situations become complex when you're dealing with the people closest to you," Ashley replied, feeling like she sounded disconcertingly similar to Ellen. She reached a hand out, and for the first time Eric didn't push away, and grasped her hand as though it was the only life line preventing him from drowning in the bottomless ocean that was his emotions.

…

And of course, just when everything was running smoothly a sudden attack ruined everything. This was the first time she'd fought side by side with Eric, and while he lacked his twin sister's affinity for biotics, he compensated with incredible skill in tech and rifles. He would set traps, and they'd race in guns blazing once they were sprung. As it turned out, Ellen didn't need their assistance. She'd already managed to save herself, in spite of not being fully healed.

She ignored Ashley and fixed an icy glare at Eric. "Where the fuck have you been?! I looked everywhere for you, and a part of me hoped you were dead, because I knew what those batarian bastards did to their slaves. And now it turns out you've been part of Cerberus this whole fucking time!"

Suddenly, she hugged Eric tightly, sobbing heavily. Eric awkwardly patted his sister's back until she pulled away. "I thought you weren't looking for me," he admitted.

"Well I guess we both were wrong," Ellen said.

Ashley exhaled in relief that the awkward family reunion was complete. Ellen finally noticed her and appeared on the verge of inquiring about her presence, when Wilson gate crashed the reunion only to eliminated in cold blood by Miranda, who nonchalantly explained that Wilson was a traitor. It took much coaxing from Miranda that the odds of any other survivors were dismal, before Ellen acquiesced to departing from the station. Hopefully, Ashley could receive answers regarding Cerberus' future plans and inconspicuously sneak off to relay the vital intel she'd learned while on the Lazarus Project to the Alliance.

…

Frustratingly, it was two weeks before Ashley spotted a brief window of free time on Ilium. Ellen was understandably distrustful of both Jacob and Miranda and made a point of always having Ashley present in any shore party she assembled. A couple of years ago, Ashley would have sacrificed one of her limbs to be highly trusted by her CO, in spite of her unexpected allegiance change to Cerberus. Now however, it only emphasized how precarious her current situation was.

Ashley strolled along Berikokkia Boulevard, which boasted a vibrant selection of shops, cafés, and bars. When Ellen declared after performing some tasks for Liara that they were taking a break from missions, the asari was quick to recommend this district as "touristy, but pleasant". Occasionally, Ashley surreptitiously glanced behind her to ensure she wasn't being tailed by Cerberus operatives. Finally, after thirty minutes of traipsing around the area, sporadically entering stores as if she were window shopping, Ashley ducked into a café reminiscent of one she'd visited in Paris with her family on one of the rare vacations they'd taken. While it was a sunny and warm day, she opted to sit inside at one of the wooden tables to ensure she couldn't be easily overheard.

She'd eaten a light lunch consisting of a turkey and cheddar cheese sandwich accompanied by a pickle and was lightly sipping on her second cup of café au lait when her contact finally showed up.

"Damn! Now I see why the higher ups were so insistent I go on this mission," James chortled as he sat in the chair opposite her. "After all, it wouldn't be strange that I'm here to rescue you from the diabolical schemes of Cerberus."

Ashley bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. Unlike most of her squad mates in the 212, James hadn't given a rat's ass about her grandfather. On top of that, he possessed an excellent sense of humor and was understanding of her need to avoid fraternization. Before she'd fallen head over heels for Garrus, she'd secretly nursed a crush on James.

"I'm just glad you've managed to stay out of trouble, hermanito," Ashley replied.

James rolled his eyes. "I'm not that much younger then you Williams."

"I can't help acting the part of a big sister," she countered. "It's in my blood."

As they chattered about what mutual friends were up to, she discretely slid him a folder containing all her latest intel (encrypted in case it was intercepted).

"Be careful Ash," he said, his usual buoyant demeanor absent. "The galaxy's a dangerous place."

"Now who's being the overprotective sibling," Ashley retorted.

"I have faith in your ability to look after yourself, but thing's have been dicey lately since those human colonies vanished into thin air," James pointed out.

"I'll keep that in mind," Ashley said, as she mentally calculated the amount of tip for her meal. "And you be careful too, Vega."

After he left, she quickly finished her coffee and paid. Now that her task was accomplished, Ashley vacillated between continuing to window shop or beginning the long trek back to the Normandy. On one hand, there was only so much window shopping she could do before she got bored. On the other hand, the Commander didn't require her assistance at the moment.

Suddenly, her omnitool lit up like Armistice Day fireworks (all vermillion, violet, periwinkle, and emerald), indicating that someone had left her a message. Well, maybe it was one of her sisters requiring some sage advice from their big sister. Ashley was a pro at managing situations like that.

"Ashley, it's Garrus. I hate to ask this, but I'm kind of in a jam and I need your help."