Author's Note: So here's the final chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect, any of the poetry, or the song at the end.
Part Four
When the Citadel came under attack from Cerberus, Ashley was having a light lunch with Thane in the hospital's cafeteria and comparing notes about their religions' respective afterlives. One minute they were discussing the symbolism of Thane's religion's afterlife being the sea, and the next a thunderous boom echoed in the canyons of the Citadel. The former assassin didn't flinch, but calmly stood up and queried a frantic nurse about what the hospital's protocols were in case of an attack. His altruistic compassion for the other patients made Ashley feel ashamed that she ever distrusted him.
While the staff of Huerta Memorial hospital sprang into action to lock down the place, Ashley and Thane departed to investigate the situation. Ashley was somewhat embarrassed to note that she didn't have a weapon on her, but fortunately Thane was willing to loan her a spare.
It was clear from the prominent images of their logo embossed on the enemy soldiers' uniforms that Cerberus was the mastermind behind this invasion of the Citadel. Exactly how this was supposed to positively further humanity's best interests, Ashley didn't know. Then again, she always sensed that the Illusive Man wasn't mentally stable given his organization's haphazard methods. Ashley endeavored to bear the brunt of the attacks in order to allow Thane to retain his limited stamina. They joined up with Ellen and Eric, who had already seen action if their disheveled state was any indication.
"I really wish I'd shanked the Illusive Man when I had the chance," Ellen mused.
"When we catch up to him I'll let you do the honors," Eric volunteered.
"Do you have any news about the attack?" Ashley interjected into the siblings' banter.
"Bailey thinks they might be after the counselors," Ellen explained. "So, we're on our way to warn all of them."
Between Ashley's excellent marksmanship skills and Ellen and Thane's biotics, they cut a swath through the enemy soldiers to the Counselor Valern's office. The counselor was surprised by their presence, but seemed to trust they were allies. Of course, the arrogant man known as Kai Leng popped up and ruined any plans of evacuating the salarian counselor to safety. Before she could stop him, Thane threw himself into battle against the assassin. To his credit, the combination of Thane's biotics and his pistol dissuaded Kai Leng from continuing his assault on the counselor, but not before Kai Leng stabbed Thane in the chest, sending vermillion blood cascading onto the egg white tiles.
"Thane!" Ashley darted forward to assist her friend.
In spite of his stooped posture, and one of his hands clutching his chest to staunch the blood flow, Thane raised the other to discourage her from approaching any closer. "Don't worry about me right now. Focus on saving the other counselors from Cerberus."
Ashley nodded in acceptance, and after receiving the evacuation route from Valern who promised to accompany Thane to the hospital, the trio raced to intercept the counselors before Cerberus did. Strangely, Udina didn't seem pleased to see them, and of course Kaidan was also present.
"They're with Cerberus!" Udina insisted. "They can't be trusted!"
Both Sparatus and Tevos expressed skepticism about Udina's accusations. Clearly, they didn't trust Udina's intentions anymore then the trio did. Kaidan on the other hand glanced back and forth between Udina and Ellen.
"Back off sister," Eric gently coaxed her. Ellen pursed her lips, but complied with her brother's request.
"Kaidan this probably isn't the best time to declare this, but you mean a lot to me and I aspire to be worthy of your trust," Eric declared calmly. "When I joined Cerberus, I felt a debt to them for rescuing me from those vicious batarians and I believed that they truly did work to further humanity's best interests. Obviously, I discovered I was mistaken and left."
"That sounds like a lovely speech," Udina sneered. "But it's all a lie."
"So are you," Eric countered. "In fact, you're just like Cerberus. You profess you serve humanity's best interests, but those always take a back seat to your personal agenda. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised to discover you've joined forces with Cerberus to preserve your life at the expense of the other counselors. After all, you've always been the consummate slimy politician, backstabbing everyone in order to maintain your position."
"How dare you accuse me of treason?!" Udina complained.
Kaidan sighed. "I know I'm going to regret this," he said.
"You're only doing the right thing," Eric encouraged, and Ashley felt she was intruding on a private moment between the pair, and focused her attention on Udina who strode towards the console in spite of Eric's warning.
Tevos sauntered forward to prevent him, and suddenly Udina produced a gun and honed its muzzle towards the asari councilor.
Bang! Udina fell to the floor dead, while Tevos appeared to be completely unharmed. It took several seconds for Ashley's mind to register that Kaidan had just shot the human councilor. Eric calmly stepped forward, and allowed Kaidan to throw him arms around him. The one positive of this debacle was the councilors were suitably grateful for their aid, and Shepard utilized this to acquire a secure transport to the hospital to check in on Thane.
Tragically, Thane's wounds turned out to be fatal, and all Ashley could do was squeeze his hand and say she would pray for him. Back on the Normandy, the mood was somber and Garrus let her bunk with him in the forward battery since Ashley didn't want to be alone with her grief.
…
"Does working with the geth bother you?" Garrus inquired, as they waited to see who Ellen would decide to put in her shore party to assist the quarians. While Ashley was pleased to reunite with Tali, whom she thought of as a little sister, her heart contracted inward with sympathy at the heavy weight currently on Tali's shoulders as an admiral of the fleet.
"I don't know," Ashley admitted. "Before I met Legion, it would have pissed me off, because of the 212, but now I'm not so sure."
Garrus gently squeezed her hand. "It's ok to admit you don't have all the answers, and you're uncertain about things. You and Shepard taught me that."
In the end, neither of them was chosen and they spent the day practicing on the target range until the shore party returned, with Tali safe, but clearly grief stricken over Legion's sacrifice.
…
Ashley assumed that she'd experienced the strangest events already via working with Commander Ellen Shepard. However, discovering a live Prothean named Javik really took the cake. If she'd read about the event in a mission report, she would have assumed whoever wrote it was reading too many science fiction novels. This was proof that reality could be stranger and more bizarre than fiction could ever aspire to be. Naturally, said Prothean was extremely hostile to Liara to the point that Ellen constantly was called upon to do damage control. Ashley didn't envy Commander Shepard in the slightest of having to smooth ruffled feathers.
For the most part, Ashley avoided speaking to Javik, and mostly spent time with Tali, Garrus, Kaidan, and Eric. Tali seemed to have come to terms with her new rank and was back to debating with Engineer Adams of potential upgrades to the Normandy. Garrus was foremost her rock of support, especially as both their families were forced the flee the Reaper forces. Moreover, she was pleased to observe that Kaidan and Eric were gradually becoming aware of their mutual attraction and acting on it.
However, she couldn't avoid Javik forever, and one evening after enjoying a lively dinner with her friends and Garrus in the mess hall, the Prothean managed to corner her.
"You have a Prothean time stone," Javik declared. "It's how you were able to spin time to your advantage."
"Then why didn't your people utilize them to rescue themselves from the Reapers?" Ashley demanded recklessly.
Javik shot her an icy glare and she regretted her hasty words. She'd be just as pissed off if someone insinuated that she should have employed to save the 212 instead of Kaidan. "The stone only activates if the user's life is ended, and when my people were processed into foot soldiers. Therefore, they technically were still alive. Moreover, it can be utilized to activate a time loop only once. After the user figures out how to break that cycle, it can't be used again."
"I see," Ashley replied. She was rescued from making small talk when Liara arrived to continue another one of the pair's passive aggressive arguments. Ashley gratefully retreated to the starboard lounge, and rifled through her meager possessions until she located the stone mentioned by Javik. For something that altered time and fate, the rock was chunky and a dull, pencil gray color. As grateful as Ashley was that she wouldn't be sucked into another time loop, she had a new awareness that if either she or Garrus perished in this war, there would be no do overs. They would stay dead.
…
In spite of her enhanced awareness of her mortality, Ashley was determined to enjoy the shore leave on the Citadel as the Normandy went through the required repairs and retrofits. Being top priority for upgrades was one of the few perks of being on an actively serving ship in the midst of apocalyptic war. Moreover, it provided an opportunity to touch base with Sarah, the only member of her family who was currently on the Citadel.
Sarah and Garrus immediately became fast friends, with Garrus being incredibly empathetic about Sarah losing her husband to the Reapers. Being used to consoling those who lost loved ones in battle was probably was one of the benefits of being raised in a militaristic culture. Hopefully, Sarah's support would help win over her mother, who shared some of her late husband's prejudices against turians. At least on Garrus' side, his father would be relieved enough that his son was settling down with anyone, even if it was a human.
Not even the appearance of a Shepard clone hell bent on stealing the Normandy could dampen Ashley's enthusiasm. She was thrilled when Ellen announced she was throwing a large party as a last hurrah before returning to the war. It was nice to chat with Miranda, who had reunited with her sister Oriana and was currently assisting in the construction of the Crucible.
It was perfect, apart from when she walked in on Kaidan and Eric while searching for a bathroom. Kaidan blushed crimson at being caught in an awkward position by one of his squad mates.
"Sorry, but I don't do threesomes Williams," Eric snarked. Tact had never been his strong point, and he was clearly perturbed at being interrupted.
"Just remember to lock the door," Ashley retorted. "Besides, Garrus doesn't share."
As happy she was for the pair, Ashley could have lived her whole life without glimpsing them naked. Fortunately, she located Garrus, who was quite happy to help her forget about what she'd witnessed. Multiple times, in fact.
…
After Ellen Shepard's announcement that this was the final push to defeat the Reapers once and for all, Ashley wasn't shocked to see Garrus in the starboard lounge, waiting for her. "Isn't it weird we keep having these 'seize the day, because tomorrow we might be dead' moments?" she queried playfully.
"True, but it strengthens our resolve to win," Garrus replied. "'Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly'".
Ashley's heart beat a little stronger at Garrus reciting poetry. "'Yet their hands shall not tremble, their feet shall not falter; the void shall not weary, and the fear shall not alter these lips and these eyes of the loved and the lover.'"
"Is that Tennyson?" Garrus guessed.
"William Morris actually," Ashley admitted. "It's the one poem by him I can recall by him."
"Well there's one good reason to survive this battle," Garrus joked. "I need to research this guy and find more of his poems to recite for you."
They didn't have as much sex as Ashley initially assumed they would. There was sex, but there was also an extensive cataloging and memorizing of scars and body parts, of simply feeling and touching each other in case they never got the chance to do so again. In addition, there was a brief discussion regarding their favorite parts of their lover's anatomy.
"I really like the inner part of your thighs," Garrus admitted in between gently teething and licking said thighs. "They aren't that dissimilar from turian women's thighs, and it's always a treat to watch you orgasm simply because I'm touching them."
"Your carapace is my favorite part," Ashley admitted. "Human men don't have that, and I like biting it, even though I don't generally bite guys I sleep with."
Garrus launched into a brief lecture about the evolutionary biology behind the development of a carapace, and it was surprisingly fascinating. Although that was probably due to her romantic and sexual desire for the speaker. Garrus could be explaining tax laws on the Citadel and it would be equally riveting. They lay together on the floor, snuggling as closely as they could manage without Ashley sustaining injuries from Garrus' spiky body until they received their orders to assemble in the meeting room for Ellen's battle plan.
…
Ashley was embarrassed to admit afterwards that the final battle against the Reapers was a blur in her mind. She could easily recall the banter between herself, Ellen, Anderson, Garrus, and Major Coats on the way to the front lines. She also was pleased to observe several groups of quarians and geths fighting side by side, their enmity forgotten in the face of a greater foe. However, everything else was more difficult to recall. One minute, she was shooting down brutes and husks, the next she was in the evacuation shuttle with Garrus, and Ellen wasn't with them.
While Dr. Chakwas insisted that she rest, the doctor didn't bother to separate Ashley and Garrus. Apparently, most of the crew had figured out the pair were together. To distract Garrus from his worries about Ellen, and quell her own mind from imagining the worst scenarios, she chatted about their respective families as well as their hopes for the future.
"You know even if we can't have children biologically, I'd like to adopt a couple," she suggested.
Garrus smiled for the first time since before the battle. "There's probably a few war orphans that could use a family."
Suddenly, there was a loud ruckus just outside the medical bay doors, and Dr. Chakwas came rushing in with a stretcher bearing their fearless Commander Ellen Shepard. She was badly bruised, and unconscious, but she was alive. Liara and Eric stood nearby as sentinels, anxiously awaiting Dr. Chakwas' prognosis. Before she fell into unconsciousness, Ashley sent a silent prayer to God that the Commander would be all right.
…
Butterflies danced in Garrus' stomach, even though he'd never been more certain of his current course of action. His older sister Solana poked him with her arm.
"Relax, you'll do fine," she said.
Easy for her to say, since she was still "playing the field" in no danger of getting married any time soon. Although, Garrus privately admitted that her current + 1 Aurelius Longinus was a fairly pleasant individual. The challenge was combining turian and human matrimonial traditions into a cohesive ceremony. Ashley was thrilled by the fact that turian traditions mandated that both groom and bride were walked down the aisle with their family and given to each other.
Both were grateful that Admiral Hackett took some time out of his busy schedule of rebuilding Earth, and the other colonies affected by the Reapers to streamline the application process to allow Ashley to wear something other than her military uniform. Since their options were limited, Ashley decided to forgo the traditional white wedding dress in favor of a navy-blue evening gown with a jacket and sparkly sequins.
There were no elaborate decorations apart from some ribbons framing the pulpit for the priest Ashley's mother persuaded into performing the ceremony in spite of Garrus not being baptized. The reception was also simple with both dextro and levo finger foods and two small round cakes. The only argument they had was regarding who would have Shepard as their attendant until Shepard said she'd prefer not to be either since she still had to navigate crutches just to attend the wedding. In the end, Garrus had Joker, Solana, Tali, Eric, and Kaidan on his side, while Ashley opted to have her four sisters, and James at her side.
Just about everyone who knew the happy couple and could get leave opted to attend. Garrus even spotted Miranda sitting in between her sister Oriana and a tall brown-haired man with blue eyes he didn't recognize.
"It's time," his father Castis said surprisingly gently. Perhaps, he recalled his own jitters the day he married Garrus' mother.
Garrus took a deep breath and began the walk down the far-left aisle with his family and attendants. Ashley was making the same journey with her family and attendants down the far-right aisle. As they did this, music played. The song chosen by Ashley was unconventional, but Garrus understood why it resonated strongly with her.
"If Today was your last day,
Tomorrow was too late.
Could you say good-bye to yesterday."