Mass Effect 1. Chapter 1

_Obligatory A/N: More stuff I wrote for fun over the summer! I thought I'd share it since I've been writing on it a little here and there. All of part one is written, so it'll go up at the speed at which I can edit it. This has been betad by Diablo Kades, in that she read it and told me to add stuff. It didn't get read again, because I have been sending her __**way**__ and she is way too busy for that shit (my words, not hers - she's British. She's way too polite for that). I just thought someone here might wanna read it. If not, oh well._

_This just sort of came out of loving stories which mix timeframes, and AUs where it's set in modern times, or __**more**__ modern times (like those episodes of Xena where it would be set, like, during the 30s at an archaeological dig? Anyone else know what I'm talking about?). I was thinking in those terms, and came up with this. I was thinking World War II, what with my love of swing dancing and pretty much all things vintage, as well as my love of Mass Effect and science fiction in general. This is what I ended up with..._

_So... yeah. Let me know what you think, please? This is one of those random ones..._

* * *

**PART ONE**

Chapter 1

Awareness came to her slowly. She floated in a world of shadows for quite a while before it suddenly occurred to her that this wasn't normal.

As soon as she realized it, she began to be aware of a different world, one she couldn't see, but _could_ hear.

"Remarkable… only a broken arm… shattered knee… replaceable…"

She wasn't sure what they words meant at first, but as she listened, the grey shapes faded to black, and then she was aware of a light behind her eyelids. She stopped focusing on the sounds and started trying to move. Her eyes felt heavy; her limbs, her hands and feet, even her fingers and toes felt like they were made of lead. But with some concentration, she was able to crack open an eyelid. It stuck for a moment, and when it opened, all she could see was something yellow caked along her eyelashes.

"Her eyes are opening."

A hand on her shoulder, a woman's voice asking her if she could hear her. The voice had a British accent.

She tried to nod, hoped it worked.

"You poor dear, you can't see for your wounds, can you?"

A warm, wet cloth was pressed over her eyes for a moment, and when it disappeared she could see. The sight before her took her breath away.

Skin the color of barely-creamed coffee. Hair as black as night. Eyebrows knit in concern. Lips pouted just slightly. Her breathing hitched, and she could barely think straight, not even noticing that holding her eyes open for so long was becoming painful.

"Is that better?"

She tried to find her voice, but couldn't. She tried to move, but couldn't. She could only blink. The third time she closed her eyes she couldn't open them again, and without being aware of it she slipped back into sleep.

* * *

This time awareness came to her right away. She lay still for a moment, concentrating hard on everything she could perceive. The sounds in the room around her (nothing but quiet machinery); the feel of her arms, legs, fingers, toes; the parch in her throat; the heaviness over her eyes. After a moment, it became clear that she had something solid over her eyes. She reached up to feel it and found that it was bandaging.

She also found that one arm was bound in a cast. Feeling it with her good left hand, she found that it was fixed in a position bent almost double, her hand up by her shoulder. She could feel it all, and it was painful – must have broken. What happened to her that she was like this now?

She tried to find her voice. "Hello?"

No answer.

"Hello?"

Still no answer.

"Is anyone there? I can't see anything. Where am I?"

"Hold on, I'm coming!"

The voice… she remembered waking up to it, catching a glimpse of a beautiful face before sleep claimed her. She'd thought it had been a dream.

"Ah, you're awake. Lovely." She felt a hand slip into hers, and she instinctively gripped it, her only anchor in a world she was used to being able to see. "Sorry about the bandages. You had a nasty burn that got infected. It should only need to be on for another day."

Her voice was still scratchy, hurt her to speak, but she spoke anyway. "What happened to me? Where am I?"

Sympathy. "You're in the veteran's hospital, dear. Do you remember your last mission?"

_Explosions. She had a rifle in her hand. Her best friend and commanding officer shouting at her to run. But she wouldn't. She couldn't leave Shepard._

She nodded. "We were routed. I was supposed to get out of there, but my CO had been injured, and I couldn't leave her behind…"

"Well, you were injured, as well. Burns, a broken arm, and your kneecap had to be replaced – it was shattered by a bullet. But you should recover fully, which is more than most who end up in here can say."

The warm hand in hers was pulled away. She instinctively reached for it, sitting up to follow it. Immediately a pain radiated up her leg, presumable the one that had been shot, and she doubled over with it.

Those warm hands were immediately on her back, her shoulders, easing her back to be lying down. Soothing words were murmured, and then the pain was being replaced by the desperate need to sleep once more. She fell asleep to wonderful thoughts of beautiful voices and pretty faces.

* * *

The next time she opened her eyes, the bandages were off. Her eyes snapped open, and she blinked several times as she adjusted to the light. She looked around, turning her head this way and that as she took in her surroundings.

She appeared to be in a private room, with one other bed next to hers. She couldn't see who was in it from this angle, but there definitely was someone under those blankets. She turned her head to look in the other direction, and almost did a double-take.

Standing across the room was a blue-skinned woman.

_That must be an asari_. She'd heard of them. They were their allies in this war. But as a marine in active-duty combat, she had never actually met one; so far, they kept to their own ranks, fighting on their own front, or working as consultants out of the fray. The woman in front of her had tentacles coming out the back of her head – _weird!_ They didn't seem to move at all, making them somewhat less disconcerting, but just the fact that they were _there_, that the woman had no hair. And her skin was _blue_.

It wasn't displeasing, she supposed. In fact the color, the curve of her hip, the angle of the tentacles sweeping back were all very beautiful. But it was a very alien beauty, and it made her uncomfortable to think of the woman as beautiful at all.

Her musings were cut short by a human woman walking in to the room. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw that it was the same woman from before. She was in a white uniform, a white hat on her head. She knew the uniform. The woman was a nurse. She was at a veteran's hospital. She'd been injured.

The flashes came back to her. She'd lifted Shepard bodily and tried to run with her, but she hadn't quite made it out of the area before a shell exploded far too near. She had been on fire, quite possibly literally, and she'd only been able to take a few more steps before she was down. The world had gone dark, and she had known nothing until she'd opened her eyes to find that woman, that beautiful woman, staring down at her with concern in her eyes.

_Shepard. What happened to Shepard?_

"Did someone say my name?"

_Crap. Did I say that out loud?_

"Hello?"

"Ah, you are awake. I did not realize."

The asari had a soft voice, and she spoke very precisely. But she wasn't mousy-sounding, just quiet, which was utterly appropriate for this room. She was just unused to anyone knowing anything about volume-control outside of a combat situation.

"I heard someone say my name."

"You did?"

"Yeah. It sounded like Ash. She awake?"

The dusky-skinned woman came into her field of vision, smiling immediately. "Indeed, she appears to be. Lieutenant-Commander?"

"Yeah?" Her voice croaked out of her, making her sound like she'd spent a lifetime smoking.

"Ash, you're awake! Thank God, I thought I was gonna be stuck staring at your sorry ass and listening to you snore until I got the Hell outta here!"

"Sorry to disappoint, Skipper." She coughed, immediately finding a hand under her shoulder, guiding her to sit up. After a minute her coughing subsided, and she found a cup of cool water at her lips. She drank gratefully.

"Easy," the British voice cautioned. "Slowly, or you'll just cough more. Sip it. There, that's it."

"Ha, like Ash knows how to do anything slowly."

"Screw you, ma'am." She looked up to the nurse. Brown eyes, darker than her own, looked right back, and she was momentarily entranced. "Thank you."

"You are more than welcome, Lieutenant-Commander Williams."

"Can you stand, Ash?"

She looked down at her legs under the blanket. It occurred to her that she might not be able to walk? The thought struck terror through her, and she looked back up at the nurse with wide eyes.

"Relax, please. You're going to be fine, remember? If you'd like to see your friend, I can help you to your feet in a moment. I just need to finish something with the doctor."

Ashley's eyes slid to the asari woman, who she'd forgotten about after the woman had left Shepard's side. The asari – apparently their doctor? – was standing once more at a bank of equipment on the other side of the room.

"That's Doctor T'Soni. She's here at the hospital to share her expertise with our doctors. She's responsible for your replaced kneecap." Ashley looked back up to the nurse. "You'll be alright while I finish up? Stay put this time, okay? I don't want to have to put you to sleep with morphine again." She nodded, settling back on her pillows, watching the woman get up and walk back to the asari. She had a remarkable ass in that uniform.

Before her thoughts could go any further, though, Shepard interrupted them. "Seriously, I'm glad you're okay, Ash. I thought we were dead for sure when that shell exploded."

Ashley was in a bit of a daze, and didn't really want to remember what had happened. "Yeah, me, too. Are you okay, Skipper?"

"Thanks to my LT who can't take a damn order when I give it to her, yeah, I'm okay. Not perfect. But I'll live."

Ashley narrowed her eyes, looking back to the bed that she now knew contained her CO. The divider was pulled halfway, so she couldn't see the woman's face, but she looked over as she spoke anyway. "What happened to you, Commander?"

"Do me a favor and drop the 'Commander' crap while we're in here, alright?" She breathed in, sighed. "I'm not gonna walk again, Ash. We both got burned really badly, but you were carrying me on your shoulders – I took the worst of it. They had to amputate my leg. And the arm you fell on top of is ruined. They can amputate it, or I can have a useless arm. I haven't decided yet – I just woke up a few hours ago."

"Fuck. I'm so sorry, ma'am."

"Can it, Ash. You saved my life. I'll deal with the rest of it. It's better than being dead."

"That is an excellent attitude to have, Commander." The nurse walked over to her bed, handing her something. Looking up, Ashley saw that the doctor was gone. "Most people come in here and wish it had ended on the field."

"Yeah, well. I'm sure I'll find something else to do once I'm healed up. Besides, if you can replace Ashley's kneecap, then maybe something will be available for me later on. Who knows?"

The nurse came to Ashley's bedside with a smile on her face. "That's the spirit, Commander." She looked down at Ashley. "Are you ready, Lieutenant-Commander?"

"Yeah. But just call me Ashley, or Ash. No need for titles in the hospital, is there?"

"As you wish, Ashley. Are you ready to try standing?"

She nodded. The nurse had her sit up, pulling back the blanket to reveal her legs. Her right leg was bandaged from ankle to mid-thigh, keeping it slightly bent. "Don't try to bend it, it's still healing. The cast will allow you to put a little weight on it while it heals, and you can move the whole leg from the hip, but you're going to mostly have to hobble. I'd give you crutches, but with your arm like that, they wouldn't do you any good, unfortunately."

"No problem," she murmured, eyes still transfixed by her legs. Her left one she could move just fine, so she tried to shake off whatever it was she was feeling and allow the nurse to pivot her so her left leg was draped over the side of the bed. Pulling Ashley's good arm over her shoulder, she helped Ashley to her feet.

"My. I didn't quite realize how tall you were," the nurse commented, looking up at Ashley from under her arm. "Hard to tell when someone's lying down."

"We tend to be a tall bunch," she murmured, wondering at how weak her leg felt. She wasn't used to feeling weak.

"Right, well. Come along, and I'll get you in a chair by the Commander's bed."

"Please stop with the 'Commander' shit. No matter what happens, I think we can agree that _that's_ done."

"Right you are, Shepard."

Ashley was impressed. A normal person might take umbrage to Shepard's tone, or take pity on the poor, sad soldier. This woman just took her attitude in stride. "Don't take her personally. She's always a pain in the ass." The nurse chuckled.

"You gonna take advantage now that I've given up rank? Because I could always pull it, Ash."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Skipper."

She was hobbled past the sheet, and nearly fell out of shock. Shepard was lying there, arm heavily bandaged, head bald, eyebrows gone, scabs running down her cheeks and neck.

"What?"

Ash closed her mouth, then grinned. "You look like shit, Skipper."

"Yeah, I'm sure I look a good deal better than _you_, Ugly."

The nurse deposited her into a chair next to Shepard's bed, shaking her head as she went. "The both of you are absolutely _wicked_!"

Shepard snorted. "I thought you said I had the right attitude?"

The nurse gave her a look before rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "Did you two need anything, or can I leave you alone for a few minutes?"

"I'll be fine," Ashley answered, then looked up to her. "But what's your name?"

"Samantha. Samantha Traynor."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Chapter 2 for you! Here's my incentive to hurry up and write the rest of part 2, since y'all seem to like this so far. Hope you enjoy this, as well!_

* * *

Chapter 2

"I miss dancing."

"You're weird about dancing, Ash."

"I don't see why you never danced. It was a great way to meet girls, Shep."

"Yeah, well, that's certainly not gonna happen now."

Their hair was starting to grow back. They'd spent almost two weeks like that first day. Samantha got Ashley up, never failing to make her heart pound at the nurse's proximity. Then she spent most of the morning talking to Shepard. She learned that she looked about as good as Shepard, though without all the scabbing from shrapnel – mostly it was just that her hair had been burned off, leaving some burns that were rapidly healing.

The most annoying was the eyelashes growing back. Until they did, she felt constantly oily around her eyes, and they _itched_ like nothing before. More than once Samantha had come in to see her rubbing her eyes and immediately grabbed her hands, chastising her before handing her a tissue to dab with. She secretly loved these times – the nurse's proximity was something that she looked forward to every morning.

The doctor came by frequently, but didn't say much. She monitored Shepard, took blood upon occasion, and pronounced that Shepard was "healing nicely." She checked Ash out once or twice, too, but as the casts couldn't come off, there really wasn't much she could do that Samantha couldn't. Ash preferred Samantha, anyway, so she wasn't crying about it.

Once or twice she got the nurse to stick around for more than a few minutes and talk. She discovered that the woman was a dancer, like herself, and that she joined the war effort after her parent's colony was attacked. Ashley was intrigued by the way she sometimes stuttered when Ash got her to talk about something personal. She was all business normally, showing no problems when faced with having to change bandages or help Ashley walk across the room to use the toilet. But if she started talking about herself at all, she blushed and stammered a little, making Ashley's heart melt with how adorable it was.

She was smart enough in the ways of women to know that the nurse probably liked her back, but she couldn't seem to find the right way to make her move. She was used to being able to be smooth, confident, walk with swagger. It was difficult to be suave when you couldn't use both legs and your arm was stuck in one position, however.

That should change soon, though. She was told that her leg cast would be coming off any day now, and with the exercises she'd been doing, she should have full use of the leg. It might not be as muscular as it used to be, wouldn't support combat yet, but it should serve her just fine for the hospital.

They wouldn't tell her exactly _when_, though, which was frustrating, but she could deal with it. She was used to things on a need-to-know basis – they probably had their reasons. So she sat every morning next to Shepard's bed, watching the fiery red hair getting longer and longer bit-by-bit. Sometimes, while they talked, she would absently feel her own head, running her fingers along the stubble there. It was kind of fascinating. And it kept her focus away from the uncomfortable way she had to sit with her leg propped up and her arm folded at her side, both in casts. She couldn't _fucking_ wait for it to come off.

She was feeling her head at the moment as she spoke with Shepard. "Why do you do that, Ash?"

Ashley removed her hand, shrugging. "I don't know. It feels funny. It's probably the only time I'm gonna have hair this short – may as well enjoy the novelty, right?"

"Well, I think it looks dashing." Ashley whipped her head around to see Samantha walking briskly into the room, Doctor T'Soni behind her. "We have one more scan to do. And then we think it's time, Ash."

Ashley brightened up. "Really?!"

Samantha smiled broadly, nodding before moving aside to let the doctor scan Ashley's leg. Several seconds later, the asari looked up at her and smiled. It was a beautiful smile, full of genuine _cheer_, and suddenly Ashley could see what was so beautiful about the asari as a people, and Doctor T'Soni specifically. She had freckles, which she didn't realize asari could have, and markings where eyebrows would be on a human, making her face light up when she smiled in an entirely human way. Ash decided to try to get her to talk, get to know her a little. Maybe she hurried in and out because she was the only one like her in a place full of humans? Ashley would certainly be uncomfortable in a place full of asari as the only human.

"We can remove the cast with no problem, Lieutenant-Commander."

"That's great news, Doc!" She reached out her hand, gripping the doctor's arm lightly as she made to stand. "Thank you."

The doctor nodded, her face flushing a slighter darker blue as she smiled and moved away. Samantha took her place, giving her a spontaneous hug. "I'm so happy for you, Ashley!"

Ashley felt herself blush, but hugged the woman back, cherishing the closeness. As the nurse pulled away, she chanced a glance at Shepard, immediately regretting it. Her CO had the biggest shit-eating grin on her face, looking pointedly at Samantha before looking back at Ashley and waggling her hairless eyebrows. Ashley carefully flipped her the bird, making sure Samantha didn't see. Shepard burst out laughing, causing Ash to smile. Samantha looked at her with a quizzical expression, looking back to Ashley with the same. Ashley shrugged and smiled, reaching out and catching Samantha's hand, pulling her in for another hug. She was just so damn happy.

The doctor came over a minute later with a small tool. "You will feel the vibration, and it may feel odd, but unless it's painful, then it's nothing to worry about."

"You got it, Doc," she replied, settling back in her chair.

Ten minutes later, and they were done. The cast came off in two pieces, and she was allowed to finally reach down and _scratch that itch_ that had been bugging her since she first woke up. Samantha laughed, the doctor smiled, and Shepard commented on how bad it must smell.

"Watch out, Skipper. You can't go anywhere. I could shove it in your face and just leave it there until you puke from the stench."

"A- are humans always this _vulgar_," she heard the doctor ask Samantha.

Samantha just laughed. "You're talking to _marines_, Doctor. They tend to be a crusty lot."

"Hey!" Ashley picked up the pillow her leg had been on and chucked it at Samantha, who expertly caught it and sent it right back at the marine. Ashley wasn't expecting it, and it hit her square in the face, causing Shepard to start cackling.

"Oh, no you don't." Ashley was on her feet in a flash, completely ignoring the fact that she should be taking it slow, that she hadn't bent her new knee yet, how she should be cautious in putting her whole weight on it at first. She simply shot to her feet, pillow in-hand, closed the distance between her and Samantha, and pegged her in the chest with it.

"Well, that's one way to test if you can bear your weight on it," the nurse commented, straightening her hat and letting the pillow drop. "Does it hurt?"

"Yes, any pain or tingling, Lieutenant-Commander? Any weakness?"

Ashley suddenly found herself with two women kneeling next to her, looking intently at her leg. "Uh, no. Feels perfect. I mean, my knee feels a little funny, but you did warn me about nerve damage…"

"Yes, that is normal." The doctor and nurse both stood once more. "Would you like to test it out? Walk about the room a little?"

"Sure." She made to start walking, flapping hospital gown be damned, but quickly found Samantha at her side.

"In case you fall," she murmured, taking the marine's arm in hers and leading the way.

Ash smiled. "I actually have a better idea, Samantha."

The coffee-skinned woman looked up to her. "Oh?"

Ash grinned. "Yeah," she responded, before looping the hand of her broken arm awkwardly behind Samantha's shoulder and leading her forward immediately into a triple step.

"Dancing," the nurse laughed, phrasing it as an incredulous question. Yet she still followed, turning when Ashley indicated she should, coming back in close when Ashley pulled her in. Ashley couldn't do much with her arm bent, her hand up at her shoulder, but she managed, leading the nurse in a few moves, making her laugh. Samantha held close to her to make up for Ashley's broken arm, and Ashley's heart soared for the timeless minute or two that they danced, Shepard and the doctor simply watching, amused smiles on both their faces.

"Oh, you are _good_, Ashley," Samantha burst out as they finished their dance. "You should go out dancing once your other cast comes off. You're allowed a bit of shore leave as a patient, you know." She pushed her hair back behind her ears, re-securing her hat on her head.

Ashley grinned. "Sure – but only if I get to take you with me."

"I- I-" Samantha stammered, ducking her head and blushing. Then she looked to Shepard.

"Hey, I think it's a great idea," the grinning redhead answered. When Samantha looked to the doctor, she simply smiled and inclined her head before going to scan Ashley's leg again.

She looked back up to Ashley, smiling bashfully. "That… would be a difficult invitation to turn down."

Ashley smiled broadly. "Great! When I can use my arm again, we'll go dancing!"

* * *

_'Ashley, get the fuck outta here!'_

_'You know I can't do that, ma'am.'_

_'For fuck's sake, we're gonna die! My leg's broken, I can't run! Go, so we don't __**both**__ die out here!'_

_She stooped, gripping her CO's good leg and heaving the woman over her shoulder. 'We're both getting outta here, Skipper!'_

_A long line of obscenities trailed her as she began running out of there. After a dozen paces, though, her leg folded out from under her, pain exploding in her knee, in the arm she fell on top of. Then the world was fire, pain, and light too bright and intense to look at._

"Ashley!" An urgent whisper.

Ashley's eyes opened, and she smacked feebly at whatever was in front of her. A strong grip on her wrist prevented her from anything more, and when she opened her eyes fully, she saw a dark-skinned face in front of her. Pale sunlight coming through the windows shone on her black hair, and the woman herself appeared to be dressed in sweat pants and a tank top.

"Wazzat?"

"Ashley, you were dreaming."

"Skipper…" She was having a hard time figuring out where she was, what was going on.

"Ashley, it was a dream, that's all." Hands on her face, turning her to look into dark brown eyes. "Look at me, Lieutenant-Commander." Ashley managed to focus her eyes, seeing that it was Samantha in front of her – practically on top of her. She had crawled up on to the bed to reach Ashley's face properly.

"Fuck, Samantha," she said, her sleep-fogged brain unable to shake off the terror and pain she'd experienced only a moment before. Tears welled in her eyes, falling down silently as she worked not to cry like a goddamn baby. "I… I…"

"Shhh, it's okay." Those strong arms wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her up to sit and hugging her tightly. Ashley wrapped her left arm around the nurse, pulling her as tight as she could and willing control to come back. She managed enough control to stop weeping, but she was still rather shaken. "How long have you been having nightmares, Ashley?"

"What?"

Samantha pulled back, holding Ashley at arm's length. "How long have you been having nightmares about your last mission?"

Ashley hesitated. "That's the first one."

"That's a bloody lie, and we both know it. This happens all the time, Ashley, and you big, bad, tough marines try to hide it from us, and it keeps us from doing our jobs. _How long, marine_?" Her face was set in a stern expression, and Ashley couldn't help but think it was both adorable and kind of scary.

Ashley sighed, looked away. "Most nights. Usually no one's here when I wake up except Skipper, who usually has to throw things at me until I wake up." She hesitated, looked up. "She has them, too."

Samantha nodded. "That sounds about right." She smiled momentarily. "And it explains the socks and cups on the floor every morning." Her expression hardened once more. "You need to start telling us. We need to set up an index on how bad they are, how real they feel, and how long it takes to wake you up. Otherwise we don't know if they're getting better. We don't want you to start flashing if there was something we could have done for it."

Ashley nodded. "This one… wasn't as bad as usual. I think because usually I have to wake myself up." She cocked her head, thought for a moment. "And usually my arm and my knee hurt somethin' awful."

"But not this time?" Ashley shook her head. "Interesting. Well, I'll have to start an index for you. Too bad my shift doesn't start for another half hour…" She let go of Ashley's shoulders finally.

"Wait!" Samantha stopped, looking back to Ashley, eyebrow raised. "Don't go…"

"I'm just going over to your file, Ashley."

"I, just…" She took Samantha's hand, entwining their fingers, trying hard not to second-guess herself and just go with it. Samantha's presence made her feel better. "Being alone makes it worse."

Samantha's face melted into a sympathetic smile, her grip tightening in Ashley's hand. "How can I turn down such a request?" And then, to Ashley's surprise and delight, she folded herself into the crook of Ashley's arm. When she was done, her head lay on Ashley's shoulder, Ashley's arm wrapped around her shoulders, keeping her away from the guardrails of the bed.

"How's this?"

Ashley smiled, taking a chance and giving the top of Samantha's head a kiss, breathing her smell in deeply. "Perfect."

Samantha giggled. "Watch out, or I'll think you're coming on to me, Soldier."

Ashley's mouth went instantly dry, and her throat was so scratchy that she couldn't get a word out. Samantha lifted her head and winked.

Ashley was momentarily stunned, before she recovered, eyes narrowed.

"Why, you little…"

Samantha snorted, then giggled, laying her head back on Ashley's shoulder. "Relax, silly."

"And here I thought _I_ was a shameless flirt."

"You _are_. I just don't _mind_."

Ashley didn't really know what to do with that one. "I- I can stop. If it's making you uncomfortable. This is where you work, and-"

"Did I say I wanted you to stop? If you were making me uncomfortable, I would hardly be lying in your arms, would I?"

A beat. "Okay, you have a fair point."

Samantha giggled, throwing Ashley's heart into overdrive once more. She wished she could use her other arm, but at least she had the one. She stroked Sam's raven hair a few times, moving her hand back to her shoulder and pulling her in tighter.

"So if we both know we're flirting, then…"

A giggle. "You'll take me dancing when your cast comes off."

"Aaaaaand when can it come off?"

"Patience, Ashley. When it's ready, it will come off, and you can take me out."

"And that's… okay? You won't get in trouble?"

"Frankly, I don't really care, Ashley. I was assigned here because they needed someone who would work directly with an asari. They won't fire me for this."

"You're awfully confident in that, Sam."

"Look, Ashley," she said, sitting up some once more and fixing her with another stern glare. "I like you. I want you to take me out. It sounds like you feel the same way. Are you really going to _complain_?"

She stared for a moment, then shook her head, smiling sheepishly. "Again with the good points. It's like you're smart or something."

"Yeah, you're the one acting like a grade-A _fucktard_, Ash. Take the girl out and stop complaining, genius!"

Samantha sat up all the way, peering over at Shepard. "And how long have you been awake?"

A snort. "Since you woke my _prodigy_ over there up from her scary nightmare."

Samantha rolled her eyes before looking back to Ashley. "I guess that means our time is up. I have to get ready for my shift anyway." She leaned down, kissing Ashley on the cheek. Her skin burned where the nurse's lips touched. "I will come back later with Doctor T'Soni." She leaned back over, addressing Shepard. "Assuming you don't need anything?"

"Naw, I'm good. I'll need to pee in a bit, but you guys usually come in in time for that."

Another roll of the eyes. "Charming as ever, Shepard."

Ashley laughed. "You should get her drunk and see how the charm devolves into lewd propositions."

"Hey, shut it, Ash, or I'll tell her that story about the dude in a leotard-"

"Okay, that's enough, thank you." She took Samantha's hand, kissed it, and let her get up. "You're a crappy commander."

"You're a crappy commander…?"

Ashley sighed, rolling her eyes. "Ma'am."


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I've decided (meaning Diablo Kades told me I should, and like Ash, I do what I'm told) to make this two fics. So Part 1 is Ashley's tale. Part 2 will be Shep. And will be a separate fic. So there._

* * *

Chapter 3

It took two weeks. Two weeks of shameless flirting, and constant teasing from Shepard – thankfully once Samantha was out of the room – and getting to know the doctor a little. It was Shepard who drew the asari out, asking questions about what might be able to be done about her leg. They discovered that if they asked her about something she knew about, it would be difficult to shut her up. She would then realize she'd been in there for half an hour talking and rush away to take care of her other patients, always with that deep-blue blush on her face.

Ash noticed Shepard was becoming rather taken with the doctor. She would sit and watch her talk, a small smile on her face, her eyes fixed on the asari's features. She realized that that was probably what she looked like when she listened to Samantha talk. They were both just so damn _smart_, and both of their voices were captivating – she could have listened to either of them read the phone book and been perfectly content. But where Ashley simply found the doctor to be pleasant company and a little cute, Shepard seemed to be absolutely enraptured.

As Shepard's habit was usually to sleep around a bit, not dating someone for very long before moving on to the next girl, she decided not to return the merciless teasing. Shepard had never shown interest in quite this way before. If the doctor was at all interested, and if she played her cards right, she might just be the one who was able to pin Shepard down for good.

Finally, after those two weeks were up, the doctor – Liara, they'd learned her name was – came in alone. She scanned Ashley's arm, then took the same small electric saw from weeks before and removed the cast. Moving her arm again was sweet, sweet heaven, though it was noticeably less muscular than the other. But she didn't mind – building it back up again would be a challenge. A challenge she could start with swinging that beautiful woman around a dance floor.

Speaking of which, where was Samantha?

"If you're looking for Samantha, she's been given the afternoon off." The doctor held up something in her arms, something Ashley hadn't noticed. "To get ready."

It was a uniform. For her. Laid out on top were her decorations, with the newest being the Purple Heart that she had been unconscious while she received. She took the uniform reverently, realizing in that moment that she hadn't truly expected to be able to put it on again. She put it down on Shepard's bed for her CO to see.

"Nice," the redhead said. Ashley examined her face for a moment, trying to see if there was any bitterness or sarcasm there, but her CO appeared to be genuinely happy for her. In fact, Shepard was grinning. "I look forward to seeing what you're gonna do about that ugly mug of yours, though. Your hair is barely an inch long, and your eyebrows match."

"Shit," she breathed, causing Shepard to cackle, and even the doctor to chuckle and shake her head.

"I'll leave you to get yourself ready, Ashley," she said, her soft voice immediately pulling Shepard's head around. She ducked out of the room, leaving Ashley to figure out what the hell to do with her less-than-ideal hair-growth.

In the end, they'd hollered for another nurse to bring them makeup, and Shepard had drawn them on her. She had stubble to work with, but it was still something that took three tries – neither of them were really the "makeup type." There was no mirror in the room, so she _had_ to have Shep do it, but as Shep was right-handed, and that was the arm that was currently hanging useless at her side, it was a messy prospect.

After that third try, though, she was pronounced – by three separate nurses – acceptable, and she went to put on her uniform. It took her a little longer than normal – her limbs hadn't felt this off-balance since the year she grew six inches in as many months – but when she was done, she put the hat on and stood at attention for Shepard.

"Damn, you cut a good figure in that uniform, Ash."

"Yeah?"

"I didn't say you could drop out of attention, LT."

Ash smirked. "You're not my CO anymore, Shepard."

Shepard's face fell a little. "_I'm_ not. You're gonna get to serve still, though." She looked down at her leg, amputated just above the knee.

"Fuck, I'm an idiot. I'm sorry, Shepard." She rushed to the woman's side. They weren't the most intimate of friends, more likely to share a shot of whiskey and a pair of girls than hugs and their feelings, but she grew up with sisters; she knew when she'd hurt someone by being careless. She'd been so excited about being able to walk around, about getting the use of her arm back and taking a pretty girl out on the town, that she'd forgotten that Shepard was watching it happen from her bed. A month in that bed, "healing nicely." But healing nicely did not mean her leg would magically grow back, her arm would magically start working again.

"It's alright, Ash. I'll be fine. Anderson said I could serve in a non-combative capacity."

"That's good. Better than a lot of vets get."

Shep nodded, then grinned again. "Come on, tonight's about you! Go out with your girl, and do me a favor – stop being so damn polite! She likes you, you like her; stop beating around the bush, yeah? Kiss her out there! Even better – fuck her senseless."

Ashley chuckled. "Right you are, Skipper."

At that moment, Liara appeared at the door again. "You were truly _meant_ for that uniform, Ashley." She had a smile on her face.

Ashley couldn't help herself. She stood, drawing into a salute to Shepard, then turning and grinning at the doctor. "You think she'll be as impressed?"

"Oh, I'm impressed."

Samantha was standing behind the doctor, apparently waiting to make sure Ashley was decent before coming in. Ashley's heart stopped for a moment when the nurse walked in. She was wearing a white, knee-length dress. The skirt flowed in just the right way to flair out if she turned quickly, and her saddle shoes were the perfect thing to complement it. Her hair was half-up, held by some kind of clip or fascinator that Ash could just see poking out over the top of her head.

Ashley's heart seemed to speed up when it resumed its beating. "How do I look?" Samantha twirled once as she asked, holding out her arms a little.

Ashley recovered her speech enough to mumble something, she wasn't sure what. But it seemed to satisfy Samantha, as the woman smiled, ducking her head a little in the way she often did when blushing. Ashley grinned – looking very much like an idiot, she was sure – and offered her newly-freed right arm.

"Shall we?"

Samantha smiled, taking her arm. "Yes, we shall."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

She glared over her shoulder. "There is very little you wouldn't do, Skipper." Shepard just winked, a shit-eating grin on her face. Ashley rolled her eyes. "Fuck off, Skipper."

* * *

They took the train to wherever they were going. They sat next to each other on the train, making small talk that was surprisingly easy outside of the hospital. Samantha told her that she probably wouldn't have to stay in the hospital much longer, but it would be a while before she would be cleared for duty.

"Why's that?"

"Well, you'll need to do a great deal of physical therapy before your arm and new knee are ready for combat. And, well… Liara and I have both recommended that you stick around. For Shepard."

"But… she's doing fine."

"She's doing fine _now_. She may not do fine without her best friend in the room with her at all times. Being alone leaves too much time to think. And for someone like her, who's used to getting her tension and pent-up emotions out in the gym or on the field, she might go crazy waiting for herself to heal enough to try even walking with someone's help. I've seen it happen plenty of times, Ashley. Marines don't often take well to losing a limb. She's effectively lost two. I know you want to serve, but I also know that you love her, in your own brotherly way. We're just asking you to keep staying at the hospital while you train, rather than in the barracks."

Sam had then apologized for bringing the conversation down. Ashley assured her it was alright, and they spent the rest of the train ride trying to talk about lighter subjects.

Twenty minutes after leaving the base, they were on the platform, straightening up their clothes before heading toward a club a street or two away.

"So. You go to this place often?"

Samantha shook her head. "I actually haven't gone before. I learned about it from Liara, actually. Her, uh, _father_ owns the place, tends the bar. She's apparently a… _colorful_ character."

"Wait, I thought you said it was her father?"

"The asari are… very different from us. They only have one sex. It's… complicated, and now's not really the time for xenobiology. But suffice it to say that I meant precisely what I said – _she_ is Liara's _father_."

Ashley was confused, but she shrugged it off. "Okay. I'll trust you. I might need you to explain it to me later, though. At a more, uh, appropriate time."

"Deal. Now, let's go in, shall we?"

Once inside, Ashley was pleased to discover a live band playing some very swinging music, indeed. She didn't recognize the song, but as she'd been on active duty for a year, she wasn't really surprised. Not a lot of opportunity for real dancing or live bands overseas, while crouching in trenches or creeping through forests to cross enemy lines. She closed her eyes, willing memories from combat away from her. They had no room in this place. Tonight, she was celebrating her health, and wooing a very beautiful woman. The war could go fuck itself for tonight.

They didn't dance immediately. Instead, Samantha led her over to the bar and introduced herself to the asari bartender, who apparently was related to Liara? She didn't have eyebrow markings or freckles like Liara, and was a much darker shade of blue, but other than that they looked similar enough. But that could have just been how humans looked similar in the sense that they were the same species. She tried hard not to think about it – it just made her head hurt.

"Hey, babe, what can I get you?"

"Are you Matriarch Aethyta?"

"Sure am. Bought this place from the last schmuck who couldn't get it off the ground. Most people don't seem to give a shit so long as I've got music and booze for 'em."

"I see… Um, well… Liara T'Soni sent us…"

"Shit, you know my little girl? Here, let me get you something special," the asari proclaimed, rummaging around a little before beginning to mix a drink for them. "So, how do you know my kid?"

"Uh…" Ashley wasn't really sure how to answer.

Samantha saved her. "She's the doctor I work under at the hospital."

"You work under her, do ya?" Aethyta smirked.

Samantha smirked right back. "Indeed. If only she weren't so uptight. But, alas, she is as oblivious to flirting as most twelve-year-old boys."

Ashley gaped at the nurse. She blushed whenever Ashley got her to talk about herself, but she could hold her own with someone as gruff as Aethyta? Maybe the nurse had been around marines more than Ash thought. But then why all the blushing around Ashley?

Aethyta laughed. "Ain't _that_ the truth. That girl wouldn't know a proposition if someone walked up naked to her and said, 'Fuck me.' Here," she said, pouring their drinks as Ashley choked on nothing in particular, except her surprise from the asari's last comment. "On the house. Have a good time, ladies." And she walked away, going to serve her next customer.

"Are you alright, Ashley?"

Ashley coughed one last time and shook her head. "You were right. She's, uh, quite a _character_."

Samantha smiled. "Not unlike some of the marines who come through the hospital. They all flirt with the doctor, and she's as clueless as she is to the Commander's smiles and stares."

"So you picked up on it, too, then?"

Samantha giggled, a sound that made Ashley's heart beat a double beat. "Yes. She's not exactly _hiding_ her interest in the doctor."

Ashley shook her head. Then she took her offered drink and looked into it. "Bottom's up?"

Samantha eyed her for a moment, then picked her own up and clinked their glasses. "Cheers."

They threw the drinks back, which was a good thing – they practically scalded on the way down. She slammed the glass down and stomped her foot. "Hot _damn_, what the hell _was_ that?!"

Samantha just shook her head, as she was somewhat busy catching her breath. Finally, she was able to breathe, and she gasped, "I don't know, but no more! And no more drinks for _you_, period. You've been on pain and other medication, and tonight is your first time exerting yourself in over a month."

Ashley smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

Ashley laughed as Samantha hit her shoulder. "Oh, shut up and dance with me."

* * *

They danced several times, both of them being asked to dance by others in between. Ashley flirted, Samantha flirted, and before an hour was up, they found themselves slow-dancing on a dimmed dance floor. Samantha had her head resting on Ashley's shoulder, and Ashley moved in quiet wonder at her own luck. _How on Earth did I get such a beautiful, funny, smart woman to like me?_

"Ashley?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Sam. Anything you want."

"Well, I…" She picked up her head, looking up into Ashley's eyes and – it felt like – right into her soul. "Will you please kiss me?"

Her heart stopped. She looked down into those dark brown eyes, looking up at her from under heavy lids, and felt like she had no choice but to fall in. Those pouting lips, a hint of white teeth behind them; eyes so dark they were almost black in the dim light; hair that begged her to sink her fingers in it. Gravity took over, and in the space between one heartbeat and the next, she had pulled the woman in her arms tightly to her and closed the distance between their lips.

Her lips were warm and soft, just how Ash had imagined. Slightly parted as they had been, it was easy to take Samantha's lower lip between her own, sucking lightly on it for a moment, running her tongue over it. She tasted just a hint of something indefinable, mixed with the alcohol they'd chugged together earlier. It was intoxicating, and she didn't want it to end.

But it did. Samantha pulled away a little, eliciting an involuntary whimper from the marine. The nurse chuckled lightly, moving a hand from Ashley's shoulder to her cheek, continuing to look up with those amazingly dark brown eyes. "Thank you, Soldier."

"I do what I'm told, ma'am."

A giggle. "If that's true, then this should be a lot of fun…"

Ashley's eyes flashed, and she closed the distance between them once more, this time not hesitating to dip her tongue past Samantha's lips, _feeling_ the woman moan quietly into her mouth. She tightened her grip around the nurse's waist, letting go of her hand in favor of finally, _finally_ burying her fingers in that luscious hair. She could barely breathe, but didn't want to let go. Finally, however, her need for oxygen won out, and when their lips separated she made eye contact with the woman in her arms. She opened her mouth to say-

"Alright, that's enough, you two! Get a room! No fucking on the dance floor!"

Her eyes snapped up, and she saw Aethyta grinning from behind the bar. Looking back down, she saw Samantha looking bashful. When a wolf-whistle was raised, she buried her face in Ashley's uniform jacket.

"Oh, God, I can't believe…"

"Shhh, it's okay," Ashley said, half-laughing, half-consoling. "Let's, uh, go, uh… somewhere…"

Looking up, she saw Aethyta beckoning. She sighed, letting go of Samantha, taking her by the hand, and leading her over to the bar. Dancers immediately swallowed up the space they'd vacated, and they only got a few catcalls as they vacated the floor, Samantha with her gaze permanently affixed to the ground, a red undertone to her dark brown skin.

"I've got something for ya," the gruff asari matriarch said. She held something out to Ashley, hidden in her palm, which she took, placing it in her pocket without looking at it. "Go through that door, down the hall, third door on your left. As a favor for gettin' my girl some tail."

"Some- what?!" But the matriarch was already serving someone at the bar.

"What on Earth could she mean?"

Ashley shrugged. "Maybe Shep finally made a move?"

"But how would Aethyta know?"

Ashley shrugged again. "Who knows? Let's check out what she meant, shall we?"

"Alright… what did she hand you?"

"No idea. Let's check it in private, yeah?"


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Alright, folks. This is the end of Part 1. And it's smut. Because it's me. You have been warned!_

* * *

Chapter 4

It was a key. To a room. Apparently the club used to be a hotel or inn of some kind. A small one.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry. I wouldn't presume-"

She was cut off by Samantha's hand over her lips. "Let's stop pretending that we don't both want this, Lieutenant-Commander." Normally she'd have corrected the nurse using her title, but there was something unbearably erotic about the use of her military title in this dimly-lit bedroom; in that low, half-whispered, husky voice, those dark brown eyes now almost black with so little light in the room; with Ash in her uniform. She gulped, nodded, and then all the light was gone as Samantha closed the door.

The lock sliding into place was the sealing of her fate.

In seconds, Samantha's hands were on her, flipping off her uniform hat, unbuttoning her jacket, running her nails up over Ashley's scalp. Ashley's knees went weak, and she searched for Samantha's lips in the dark. It took a second, but then she felt those warm lips, that hot tongue sliding past her lips, a soft groan escaping into her mouth.

Ash pulled away after a moment. "Wha- why are you stopping?" Samantha's voice was breathless, her fingers pulling at Ashley even as the marine pulled away completely.

"Calm down, Traynor. Just let me…" The lamp turned on, and she turned around to see Samantha standing with Ashley's uniform jacket in-hand. "There we go," she said, smiling. She came back to Samantha, putting her hands on the woman's hips. "I wanted to see you."

"Oh, Ashley." Hands wrapped up around her waist, pulling her in close. Ashley wrapped her arms tightly around Samantha, going in for another kiss, gently maneuvering Sam toward the bed in the corner.

It was with a soft "oof" that Ashley, however, landed on the bed, Samantha having turned around and taken control. The nurse kneeled in front of her, unlacing and pulling off her boots, her socks, setting them aside neatly and tidily.

When she looked up into Ashley's face, on her knees at Ashley's feet, the soldier couldn't help but comment. "Goddamn, you're beautiful, Sam."

Those dark cheeks flushed slightly, and she ducked her head like she usually did. Only Ashley caught her chin this time, forcing the nurse to face her. "I mean it. You were the first thing I saw after that explosion, and I don't think I could have dreamt up another, more fitting sight to wake up to than your face if I tried."

"Oh, Ashley. Flattery will get you _everywhere_," she responded, surging up to kiss the marine, immediately straddling her lap on the edge of the bed. Ashley's hands went to her hips automatically, and she let out a tiny whimper into Samantha's hot mouth when she felt the nurse begin tiny little gyrations against her. A gentle pressure had her shoulders against the mattress in moments, and then Samantha wasted no time, sitting up so she could begin to unbutton Ashley's shirt.

"I wasn't just trying to flatter you, you know," she said, looking up at her, unable to simply be quiet. "I meant what I said." She liked Samantha a lot, and the nurse's opinion of her mattered a great deal. At the same time, she _was_ something of a letch, as she was having a seriously hard time not staring at the now-large amount of cleavage that was presented to her as the nurse stooped over her.

Samantha just smiled, a somewhat wicked smile, said, "I know," and leaned down, placing a warm, wet kiss to Ashley's newly revealed collarbone. Ashley decided right then that she could stop being a gentleman and enjoy this woman who was once again busily trying to get her out of her clothing.

She put her hands on Samantha's thighs, still on either side of her hips, and hissed when she discovered that most of her thighs were exposed at this point, the skirt of her dress having ridden up quite high. Samantha let out a little moan, rolling her head back and closing her eyes at the caress.

"God, finally," Sam whispered. Ashley sat up, immediately getting her lips on that exposed expanse of throat, sliding her hands up under her skirt with the movement until she could feel Samantha's underclothes. She kissed all down her throat down to her collarbone before trailing her lips down onto the nurse's chest. Those breasts that had been pressing into her for a month whenever the woman helped her with something were now so close. She could almost feel the heat radiating off of them. She kissed a little lower, and then she was there, her lips traveling down onto soft flesh.

They were heaven: large, but not ridiculously so, and soft and warm. The way they were pressed together created the perfect little valley for Ashley's tongue to travel. Samantha's skin was divine, hot and slightly salty from their dancing excursions.

Her hands began to move again, guiding Samantha gently into the same grinding motion from earlier. The woman's hands hastily resumed what they'd been doing, unbuttoning Ashley's shirt as quickly as she could. When Ashley glanced up from the valley of Sam's breasts, she saw the woman in her lap watching her, panting, letting out little whimpers. She gasped and ground down against the marine particularly long and hard when they made eye contact, eliciting a veritable flood of arousal between Ashley's legs.

Suddenly, Ashley was flat on her back once more, her hands pinned up above her head briefly, a clear indication to leave them there. She barely had time for a cry of surprise when Samantha's lips were on hers, their tongues meeting halfway in a glorious dance. Her hot mouth felt so good wherever it went that Ashley kind of wished she had more than one of them – those kisses on her collarbone had been exquisite. _It's been a while since I've been with someone I liked this much…_

Her shirt was pulled open, Samantha's hands immediately traveling down her stomach and pulling her undershirt out of her pants. Then those hands were traveling up her bare stomach, causing Ashley to gasp into that delightful mouth. She could _feel_ Samantha grinning as they continued to kiss, her hands traveling farther up until they brushed against the underside of her breasts through her sports bra. With a quick flip, that barrier was out of the way, and Ashley's breasts were in Samantha's hands.

"Fuck," she mumbled through the kiss, eliciting a quiet chuckle from the nurse.

Then nurse pulled back the barest fraction of an inch, a smirk on her face. "Yes, that _is_ the idea, Lieutenant."

"You're gonna kill me. I'm not sure I've got the energy to keep up with you. My cast just came off _today_."

A squeeze, a tweak of a nipple, those hot hands making her skin feel afire. Lips on her neck, travelling up to her ear. "Then lie back, Ashley. You're my patient, after all. It's my duty to make sure I don't tire you out too much."

She groaned, forgetting herself and moving her hands to Samantha's hips, guiding them down against her knee. She got in a few of them, her lips frantically seeking Samantha's as the woman played with her breasts. But then it was stopping. Those hands had left her chest, taking her by the wrists and pinning them to her sides. The contact with the hot area between Samantha's legs immediately ceased, and Ashley couldn't help but to let out a whimper when those lips were pulled away.

The whimper caught in her throat when she saw the look on Samantha's face. "You're going to sit back and enjoy this, Lieutenant, or I will be forced to _make_ you." Oh, but she liked the sound of _that_!

She sat up, pulling Ashley with her. As soon as she was sitting, Samantha pulled Ashley's shirt down to her elbows, then pushed her on her back once more, effectively trapping Ashley's hands at her sides. Then Samantha was on her feet. "Stay there, Ashley. I want to make you feel _good_, and I want you to enjoy it. You marines take what you want and leave the rest of us breathless. Let me show you what you can have when you take your time and enjoy it, alright?"

Ashley swallowed, nodded, completely entranced by the sight before her. Samantha was unzipping her dress. She let it fall to the floor, carefully pulling it past her hips. Then her bra came off, and lastly, her panties slid down her legs. Ashley swallowed again, unable to do anything but follow those hands wherever they travelled.

And travel, they did.

With a cocked eyebrow and a smirk on her lips, Samantha touched herself. Her fingers travelled through her hair, taking out the clip that had been holding it back. They slid down her neck, down her chest, and onto full, dusky-skinned breasts. Her fingers circled dark areolae, giving each nipple a quick flick before continuing on. Down they travelled, over a small belly, ample hips, and down to a very dark thatch of wiry pubic hair, dipping in and giving herself one quick circle around her clit. Ashley involuntarily licked her lips at this point, and Samantha laughed and took pity on her, straddling her lap once more.

"You know, I've always wanted to do that to someone," she murmured before capturing Ashley's frantic lips in her own. Ashley could only lift her hands a little bit, but she did what she could, caressing the bare expanse of skin on Samantha's thighs that she could reach. The heat of her skin where it touched her own was searing, setting her ablaze. Samantha's hands reached back up underneath Ashley's shirt, pulling it up to expose her beasts. A second later, their skin was touching, and Ashley couldn't help but moan into Samantha's mouth. Breast-to-breast, her skin on fire, unable to reach her arms up past Sam's knee – Ashley was ready to explode.

"Samantha," she said, panting, as the nurse pulled back, trailing kisses up her jaw to her ear, taking in the lobe and nibbling it a little. "Samantha, I'm going crazy here, baby."

"Impatient, Lieutenant?" A nibble, her tongue darting out to run along the rim of Ash's ear.

Ashley inhaled sharply. "I'm trying so hard not to be. But I'm…"

"Used to being in the driver's seat?" Another swipe of the tongue, Samantha's hands travelling down her stomach once more, taking hold of the button of her trousers and undoing it.

"Yes," Ashley breathed, struggling desperately to reach more of the nurse than her knees. "Fuck." Samantha chuckled, kissing Ashley's neck. "You know," she said, closing her eyes and focusing hard on the parts of Samantha she could feel. "I never would have pegged you for someone to take control like this. You're always so… soft-spoken."

"Ash," she said, a smirk on her face as she pulled back a little. Ashley nearly cried at the lost skin-to-skin contact. "I have been giving you orders and having you follow them for over a month now. I think we've established that I'm the one in charge here. You just didn't expect it from a _nurse_."

She thought about it, and decided Sam was right. She may have thought she was the one laying on the moves, being suave, and maybe she was, but that didn't mean that Samantha had been a mouse, waiting there for Ashley to eat her up. She hadn't played hard-to-get, and while she _had_ gotten shy and coy when Ashley did flirt, she was nothing but calmly assertive in her job as a nurse for her and Shepard. Ashley had just sort of _assumed_ Samantha was like other women she'd flirted with, that she was coy and softly-spoken and therefore a kitten in bed.

It was a thrilling prospect that she was, in fact, the exact opposite in bed.

Her thoughts were wrenched back to the present when Samantha's fingers took hold of Ashley's zipper, pulling it down slowly before she slipped her hand inside Ashley's uniform pants. Ashley gasped as the other hand found her nipple, tweaking it and squeezing it hard. She dug her nails into Sam's thighs, wanting so badly to take the woman into her arms and kiss and bite her skin and fill her up until she'd had her fill. The fingers inside her trousers flitted down over Ashley's underwear, and Samantha let out a pleased-sounding moan.

"You are so incredibly wet, Lieutenant." Goddamn, Sam using her military title just continued to be the sexiest thing _in the world_. "Right through your knickers and onto my hand."

"Fuck, you're so fucking hot, Sam." She really had the best view she could hope for, given her situation. Samantha straddled her lap, suspended above her so she had room for her hands between them. This meant her lovely breasts were suspended, as well, soft and round, and entirely too enticing to look at – and not be able to touch. Coupled with the ghosting of fingers over her sex through her underwear meant all her nerves were on fire with absolutely no sight of relief. In frustration, she slammed her head back onto the mattress a few times, groaning with each hit.

Samantha laughed. "Frustrated?" Ashley nodded vigorously. "Perhaps I've teased you too long."

Skin on her skin once more, and she nearly screamed, stopped only because of the hand behind her head, pulling her up for searching lips. They crashed together, and suddenly there was an onslaught of Samantha's tongue before she pulled away and began kissing down her throat once more. Hot, wet kisses, a tongue darting out occasionally, all the way down her throat to her breast, where she took in each nipple. After a slow, almost lazy, languid suck on each, during which Ashley tried very hard to remember to breathe, Samantha continued on her way, trailing those hot kisses down Ashley's stomach until she reached her trousers.

Here, she finally stood back up. Ashley wasted no time, on her feet in a second and shrugging off her shirt. She took Samantha in her arms and moaned at the feel of her: her skin, so hot and smooth; the weight of someone in her arms; the tickly feeling Samantha's giggle caused against her throat. She shuddered when Samantha's hands persisted at Ashley's belt-line, wriggling out of the marine's grip so she could tug her trousers to the floor. Ashley took the initiative then, tugging her undershirt and bra up over her head in one move. Given her reaction, Samantha was obviously pleased at Ashley's initiative.

Sam latched on to Ashley's nipple, pushing her back toward the bed with both hands on her hips. When the backs of her knees hit the bed, Sam let go with her mouth, gently nudging Ash back on the bed. Off came her panties, and then finally, _finally_, she had Samantha lying naked on top of her, in her arms, their lips together. But she apparently wasn't going to get to be the driver yet.

"Now, pay attention, Soldier," Samantha said, pushing away. Ashley whimpered, her frustration getting the better of her. She wanted to make love to this woman so bad it _hurt_, and then she wanted to do it again, and then maybe, _maybe_, she might be satisfied enough to let Samantha have her way with her. Maybe. But that wasn't in the cards, apparently.

"Oh, no you don't. You're still my patient, and you'll still do as I say. Clear?" A little smack when Ashley tried to pull her down again.

Ashley's head smacked back down on the bed. "Jesus fuck, yes."

A chuckle. "Good. Stay there. And don't look." And then the weight was off of her. She started to lift her head, but another light smack on her thigh informed her that Sam was serious about not looking, so she dropped her head and arms back on the bed with a frustrated noise.

Her frustration didn't last for long. She felt Sam spread her knees, which were bent over the side of the bed, and then that hot mouth was spreading kisses from her right knee to her groin. Then those kisses were travelling up and down her labia, fingers delicately pulling hair away to spread her sex wide open. When the next kiss landed, a tongue ventured out, searching up and down Ash's inner labia, sampling Ashley's taste.

Ashley's vision went white for a moment. She cried out, her hand instinctively going to Samantha's hair, though she didn't pull or push or anything; just a soft caress. She looked now, entranced by the vision of her nurse with her face buried between the marine's legs. _Holy Jesus fuck, how did I get so lucky?_ She cried out again when she felt Samantha's tongue go inside of her as far as it could, searching, probing for something. _She's looking for that spot- Holy fuck, there it is!_ She cried out again as the woman somehow pressed her tongue against the very bottom of that inner ridge, and couldn't help but to buck her hips right into Samantha's face. The nurse didn't seem to mind, though. She just moaned into Ashley, causing a lovely vibration that just made Ashley buck again.

"I'm sorry," she said, caressing Samantha's hair. "Those came out without a lot of control."

Samantha pulled back slightly. "The fact that I make you lose control isn't something you need to apologize for, Ash. It's incredibly erotic. Now, where was I?"

"Fuck!" Ashley cried out once more as two fingers made their way tentatively inside of her. They explored further, making Ashley curl her fingers into Sam's hair. When they curled forward, she couldn't help but to buck her hips up once more, groaning Sam's name as quietly as she could.

A little giggle, and then that wicked tongue was on her again, and all bets were off. She couldn't keep quiet, she couldn't keep still, simply moaning and writhing with Sam firmly entrenched between her legs. The feeling of this woman inside of her was better than she ever could have hoped for, and her tongue was doing things to Ashley she couldn't even do to her_self_.

It had been a while since she'd been laid, so she felt a pleasant stretch whenever Samantha's knuckles entered her. Her tongue would swipe over the very sensitive, utterly exposed tip of her clit before backing off and massaging the hood, making Ashley cry out each time. Without really being aware of it, her legs went up over the nurse's shoulders, her heels pressing into the nurse's back and pulling them together. She was close, her whole body trembling as Sam slowly, deliberately pushed her toward her orgasm.

Sam reached a hand around Ashley's hip, her fingers splayed on the marine's stomach, practically begging Ashley to take her hand. So she did, disengaging her right hand from Sam's hair and intertwining their fingers, her hips starting to buck of their own accord. She could no longer bite back her pleasure, little whimpers and groans escaping her as Sam slowly, painstakingly worked her. But even the slow pace would not hold her back, and before long she could feel herself hovering on a blade's edge.

One last, agonizingly slow lash of the tongue, and Ash stopped teetering, being pushed over the edge and falling, falling, losing herself in the simultaneous black and white light behind her eyes. She cried out, her hands clenching around Sam's hair and hand, her legs smashing shut around Sam's face, her center clamping down on Sam's hand, her head thrown back as she forgot not to shout her climax. It didn't seem to end, Sam slowly circling her clit, her fingers still moving inside of her, coaxing pleasure from her, making her climax last as long as possible.

Several eternities later, she was panting, her body utterly boneless as she involuntarily twitched with aftershocks. Sam disengaged herself, slithering up Ashley's body and rolling them over so that the marine's head lay on her shoulder.

"So I haven't lost my touch, then," she whispered. Ashley snorted, dragging herself high enough to kiss the woman who'd just shown her stars. Within a few moments, she was doing her best to light Sam's skin on fire, beginning the process of repaying her debt.


End file.

Mass Effect, Hurt-Comfort, Romance