What is this? I've been out for three days and all I see just 8 pages? Tsk-tsk-tsk... Somebody need some turpentine application between their buttocks...
Since I don't know how to apply turpentine through dem interwebz, here my auld writing (not for an excuse - all crap are still on me), reworked for ME (though I failed to find proper replacement for puns I had on original writing). Go laugh at it.
I hope that's correct English writing, grammar and all that. I guess there is only one way to tell - If BP93 will read that, then, probably, it is.

After evening mess Ashley arrived on elevator on lower deck and noticed that Shepard was still near gun bench, cleaning his arsenal. As per usual, he was singing, quietly, almost under his breath. He was so absorbed by process of maintaining his guns, so he missed her arrival. At least she thought that way. She carefully encircled commander over starboard side, hiding behind Mako and entry ramps, to stay hidden and listen what exactly commander is singing. The closer she came, the more distinct words became.
“…there's a fire within my soul.
Just one look and I can hear a bell ring.
One more look and I forget everything, w-o-o-o-oh!
Mamma mia, here I go again.”
Ashley was already at hand’s reach from Shepard when he, all of a sudden, performed about turn, spread his arms as for heartily welcome gesture and begin singing loudly.
“My my, how can I resist you?”
Ashley stood rooted to the spot, speechless. Shepard slyly stared at her, beating out the rhythm with his rifle's stock's guiding rods.
“You knew that! You knew was here all along!” Ashley didn’t even tried to hide her irritation and disappointment – Shepard spoiled her prank, after all.
“What other N7 would spoke of me if I allow anyone to sneak upon me like that?” Shepard grinned cleverly. “I have a reputation to maintain, you know!”
Ashley giggled.
“Hm.” Shepard smiled. “We both share not only same Zodiac sign, but some of character features as well. We both have quick temper, but it works both ways – our tempers are quick to subside too.”
“Be careful, Commander, I know where you heading!” Ashley markedly tried to hide irony in her voice.
“I’m aware of that. Given all understanding between two of us after all. One wise man said something about danger posed by woman, who understands you completely.”
“Danger?” Ashley fluttered her eyelashes innocently.
“Indeed. It could end in marriage.”
“Skipper!”
“Yes, yes, I know, I’m awful and I need my line of cards. Too bad Citadel printing service overloaded now with new alien porn and I can’t use Alliance’s because of regulations, though.”
Ashley looked away, trying to hide her smile.
“Don’t do that – that shining in your eyes was sole purpose of that entire spectacle.”
Ashley snorted.
“Okay, Okay, I won’t lie, I like it. But let’s change subject…”
“Before your smile rips your face apart?”
“You! Bah, I already used every authorized word I could!”
“Not every – after I was inducted into Spectres, you can, on your commander’s permission of course, refer to me outside of Alliance chain of command, strictly as Alliance member to Council’s Spectre.”
“Now you do this on purpose!”
“I just like natural blushing.” Shepard smiled, disarmingly. “But I recall you wanted to change subject, no?”
“Yes, I did. I just… forgotten what I wanted to talk about.”
“Well, judging by direction of your look back then, it was about guns. Or about…” Shepard musingly looked at his own belt.
“GUNS! I wanted to talk about guns!”
“Okay,” Shepard grinned. “What you wanted to talk about specifically?”
“You like guns, do you? I mean not just look at them, tote them, shoot them, but maintain too.”
“Part of a hobby. To be honest I like “old”, “outdated” powder guns.”
“Black powder, or smokeless powder?”
“Even cordite. I like to clean them. It, well, “part of a hobby”. Helps to create some sort of bond between you and your tool. Helps you to understand it better. To treat it better. And, at the end, use it better. Every time I got vacation back on Earth I enjoy working with those “old guns”. Pure, honest to God engineering. No high-tech auto-aiming modules, just you, your gun and good ol’ ballistics.”
“Practically poem to guns.”
“Love letter. But seriously, treating guns is very interesting activity. And relaxing one. More than knitting.”
“You knit?!”
“Occasionally. Regardless, cleaning all that carbon buildup from all crevices, grooves, notches, tubes, rails, applying lube, checking how parts fits to one another. Ain’t that great?” Shepard sighed. "And look at modern ones? What's there to clean? There is no lube since all surfaces are self-lubricating ceramic, no dust or grime sticks due lack of lubricants, no carbon build-up! Only some corrosive or chemical residue on acelerating coils and rails after visiting certain planets. Bah."
“The way you describe that, I want to be a rifle!”
“Heh, you’d make a good assault rifle I can imagine. Accurate, fast, lethal, with a bit of a kick and hard to control in full auto, of course, but…”
“Assault, eh?”
“Well, sniper rifles are too phlegmatic to be you. DMR, tops.”
“Okay, DMR then.”
“Now you are expecting me to reaching you with my hands to slap me with your famous “regulation” referral. Am I right?” Shepard arched his brow and smiled.
“That’s not fair! You could play along! For a while. At least.”
“You’re too close for “a while”. You may not have enough time to stop me using your “regulations” interrupt.”
“Okay, you got me. Again. For the third time. Grr.”
“He-he. But I have feeling you haven’t come all this way down here just to play your pranks on your superior officer or ask me about guns. Have you?”
“How’d you know?”
“Lucky guess.”
“Okay. Permission to speak freely?”
“Freely?!” Shepard made up frightened look. “More freely than we did before? Oh, my, I’m not sure I want to witness that!”
Both giggled.
“Okay, Skipper. I already told you about my family. So I wanted to ask you about yours. Only not sure it’s…”
“Acceptable?”
“Yes.”
“Why not? But I don’t know what to say. You already know about my mother, you witnessed my conversation with her about Lieutenant Zabaleta.”
“Yeah, I know, but I wanted to talk about your dad.”
Shepard snorted. “Trust me, you wouldn’t want to know.”
“Come on, you know about my granddad! What can be worse than that?”
“Well, in first place I was too small to know him well. So all data I have gathered are from “third parties.”
“Ow, don’t tell me he left your mother and you when you were a child!”
Shepard smiled dryly. “You actually may be closer to truth than you probably imagine.”
“Ow?”
“You see, apparently my dad committed a suicide. His last words were “Tell Hannah and Krzysiek I love them.”
“Krzysiek?”
“Yours truly.”
“Oh, I see. But what happened?”
“I don’t know. Body was never found.”
“But last words?”
“Transmission.”
“Transmission?”
“Yes.”
“There is more than you tell me.”
“Yes. But I’m not sure you’d want to hear all this. You may feel much worse than you do now.”
“Come on, Shepard, I told you about my granddad, what can be worse? Stop hiding, tell me already!”
“Well, before his last words he said something else, you correct about that… He said about his guns being damaged or inoperable, about heavy bleeding from femoral artery and lack of medigel, about his position is about to be overrun and about fire mission request on his coordinates, because closest turian is just 20 metres away… then there were that very specific “ping” grenade safety handle makes when you ejecting them. And then there were his last words. Then explosion, strong interference, yelling, gunfire and then nothing but static – fire mission was commenced. I was there couple years ago. Nothing grows there still.”
An awkward silence hung in the air. Unexpectedly, overhead loudspeaker crackled into life, sounding too unnaturally loud after protracted pause.
“Do you hear there!” Voice was metallic, impersonal, but Shepard’s keen ear recognized chief signal officer. “Do you hear there! Captain on the bridge: urgent! Captain on the bridge: urgent! Captain on the bridge: urgent!”
Shepard grabbed nearest headset. “Bently, Shepard speaking… I’m in armoury… On my way.”
Shepard jumped on his feet.
“Hey, Williams?”
“Sir?”
“Keep your chin up!” Shepard winked at her and moved toward elevator singing out loud. “So I'll be there when you arrive.
The sight of you will prove to me I'm still alive.
And when you take me in your arms.
And hold me tight.
I know it's gonna mean so much toni-i-i-i-i-ight.”