Love In Piano Forte'

by Erin Griffin

Rating: PG-13 for British swearing

Fandom: Murder in Suburbia

Pairing: Ash/Scribbs

Summary: A CD of movie soundtracks in piano brings Ash and Scribbs together.

Disclaimer: I think BBC owns Ash and Scribbs, but I don't know any specific names. ITV?

Author's Note: Right before I went back into my Shojo Kakame Utena obsession, I was obsessed with Murder in Suburbia, so I wrote these. Then school got in the way, and I ran out of free time, so finally I have some, and here you be. I'm not too impressed with the way I made the characters, though I feel it is alright for my first attempt at this fandom.

Friday Night

DS Emma Scribbins needed something to do. She was bored. She had watched every episode of Bad Girls on DVD and had seen what was on the tele, which wasn't much, mind you. She had even built a small pyramid out of Legos and tore it down again before she had gone on the computer. Now she floated around in the endlessness that was the Internet as she searched for games to play, but she couldn't seem to commit to any specific one. With disgust, she pulled up the window with her Internet radio on it and skipped the Spice Girls song that had begun. She'd had enough girl power for one decade, although if Viva Forever had come on, she may have let it play, but that had not been the case. Skipping five or six more songs, it became apparent to Scribbs that she didn't know exactly what kind of mood she was in, both musically as well as for her recreational time. Right when she was about to log off, she heard piano music, which made her hand still. It was a soft, lovely melody that was familiar to her, yet it took a moment to place where she'd heard it. Was it? Yes. She looked at the display and saw that the artist was called Various Artists, and the album was called 'Hollywood In Piano Forte'. The song was the piano remake of Bette Midler's 'The Rose', one of Scribbs' favorite songs growing up.

Scribbs rated the song highly for future play, then went on a hunt for more information about the CD. She was able to track down that information, as well as short snippets of rest of the CD. The makers of 'Hollywood in Piano Forte' had made two CD's, and the one with 'The Rose' on it was the first one. The second album was sold out, but could be bought in MP3 format for 3 pounds per song. The first thing Scribbs thought when she looked at the cover of the first album was 'Ash would really like this.' It was that thought which led her to click on the link that would allow her to purchace the CD, selecting two for the quantity. It was definitely something the two of them could share, as it seemed they had so little in common, though they still get on alright. When the song ended, Scribbs downloaded a few of the songs from the website, not ready to let go of the feelings the music seemed to conjure within her. It was hard to explain, but the music unlocked something she tried to keep hidden. The more she thought of the look on Ash's face upon receiving the CD, however, the more she knew she couldn't. So with those thoughts in mind, she began saving the songs to her computer and made a mental note to find blank CD's to burn onto. She spent the rest of her evening playing collapse and thinking about her colleague.

About Three Weeks Later

"I swear to bloody God, if anyone else gets in my way, there will be Hell."

"Good morning to you too," Scribbs said.

"Don't get cheeky with me," Ash all but snapped, "I'm hardly in the mood for it." The brunette waited for Scribbs to reply so that their daily banter could begin, and was disappointed when nothing came. Instead, Ash watched as her partner went to the coffee maker and poured a cup. She then handed the cup to Ash, black with sugar, as Ash would want it. Scribbs was quiet as she went back to her desk, but there was a small smile there on her face. Sometimes movements like that was better than any comeback Scribbs could throw Ash's way, and both women knew it. "Erm, thanks," Ash said, her mood improving slightly with the first sip. She was even pleased to see that it was in her favorite light blue mug. There were many simple pleasures in life, and Scribbs grasped at two of them in a silent gesture to make her feel better, and she didn't even need to try all that hard. She just knew. There was a moment of silence, the brunette thinking of this as she stirred the coffee, even though all of the sugar was dissolved.

"No problem," Scribbs said belatedly to fill the silence somewhat, then tested the waters. "So... You want to back up and tell me what happened?"

Ash only shook her head. "Just... a bloody frazzling morning," the DI admitted in a grumble.

"Ash! What are your rules for cursing in the work place?" Scribbs admonished. This earned her a hard glare, and if looks could kill, the blonde would be severely wounded if she wasn't feeling so damn good. She went back to her computer and typed up the reports she had been working on, copying her long hand onto a document.

It took ten minutes for Ash to finish her first mug of coffee, her anger slowly subsiding. That whole time, Scribbs typed her report in silence, occasionally looking up at her partner to make sure she was still okay for the moment being. She debated on whether or not Ash would be acceptant of the Piano Forte' CD in her inside coat pocket. It was because of this that Scribbs felt so good, as she had gotten the CD in the post that Friday night and had been looking forward to it. In her opinion, it was the best 29 pounds she'd ever spent, and hoped Ash would enjoy the CD as much as she had been over the weekend. The past few weeks had been good to her, as no matter what happened at work, she was always light hearted at home once she turned on the other songs from the second album.

Scribbs decided that she didn't care if Ash was going to be a pain about the CD, she wanted her to have it at that moment no matter what. She watched as Ash refilled her mug and almost pouted at the work in front of her. "Well... If you're done being sour... I have a surprise for you," Scribbs said, not looking up from her task at the computer. The mug stopped shy of Ash's lips.

"Really?" This got Ash's attention, and she put her mug down. "What's the occasion?"

"None," Scribbs replied. "I just saw it and thought it'd be something you'd like, and seeing as you're a grump this morning, it may help." She grinned, knowing that Ash would be too curious to make a remark to that. Scribbs took her coat from the back of her chair and stuck her hand deep into her pocket, pretending to search around for whatever the surprise was, even though her fingers brushed the CD many times. Finally she slowly dragged the CD out with a small flourish and handed it to the DI. Ash took a look at the cover, which had night scenery on it, a piano floating on clouds.

" 'Hollywood in Piano Forte'," Ash murmured, reading the cover out loud. She looked at the back before she heard Sullivan's door open, and she quickly put the CD in her briefcase and acted innocent. Nothing else was said about the CD as they went back to work.

Ash slowly took her jacket off and hung it up gently before letting her hair down. It was the first thing she did every night upon arriving home as a sign she was ready for bed. Put lightly, it had been a very long day, even before she even got to work, and it seemed to just drag on from there. Honestly, it was all Scribbs' fault. Well, not the very first thing, that was all Ash, but afterwards. It wasn't Scribbs' fault that Ash had awaken from a startling, very erotic dream starring her blond DS, which had kicked off her bad mood, and the driver or two on the roads going into work just added to it. As juvenile as it was, Ash had wanted to take her bad mood out on Scribbs, but the blonde didn't bite, and had instead gotten her a cup of coffee and a CD, which caused Ash to feel like a prat. That was why it was all Scribb's fault. Ash was sure a good banter with her partner would have helped, but the DS ruined that.

This was one of the many ways that Scribbs could turn around and surprise someone, and had become really good at doing that to Ash. One minute they would be walking around, bantering as usual when Ash would have a dream that makes her pause when talking to Scribbs, usually causing a slight rift between them. Or they would just be going on with their daily lives with Scribbs talking about her many conquests when suddenly she'd say that they'd be spending the rest of their lives together, and Ash still wasn't sure how to feel about that. Also, Scribbs was at fault for the bad mood because of her chasing a suspect who had run from them. Scribbs had to go and be the hero and try to save the day, resulting in a sprained ankle. Ash had to halfway carry her to the car, and the blonde's weight still seemed to linger even after she was safely in the car.

So needless to say, Ash was ready for a warm bath and bed, with maybe a glass of wine and soothing music to go with it. Since Scribbs was out for the week, Ash planned to spend the next three or four days in front of the computer, even though her blonde partner had been oddly studious the last couple of weeks, and therefore would make Ash's job simpler. This was another thing that had surprised Ash. Paperwork was Scribb's least favorite thing in the world to do, and usually let Ash do it. Yet every time Ash asked about it, Scribbs had it done, and it was ready for Ash to look over. What was going on with Scribbs lately? She seemed to change a little bit at a time the last couple of weeks. Her demeanor seemed softer, as if she wasn't as stressed out half of the time. None of her movements seemed hurried or impatient, and Ash never once heard her talk about her personal life, always going case by case. If it wasn't for the fact that Scribbs was always smiling, Ash would have thought that the blonde was mad at her or something.

The brunette thought about this for a couple of minutes. Part of Ash missed the banter between them, as well as the reciting of her many, many rules. She knew it was all jest. Scribbs learned the rules as a way to tease her, and Ash didn't mind that. It was how they were together, and Ash liked it. Lately there were no rules broken by Scribbs, or if they were, they were minor enough that Ash didn't notice, and there was a lot about Scribbs lately that Ash had noticed. This had also brought on her horrid mood, those things that Ash just didn't want to think about, knowing she'd have to face it sooner or later. Just not now.

Ash looked through her CD's to see what she was in the mood for, but couldn't find one that she hadn't already heard a thousand times. It was then she remembered the CD Scribbs had given her, and reached for her briefcase. She was curious. She'd barely given the cover more than a passing glance before putting it away and hastily thanking her colleague. She remembered seeing the dark blue of the nightscape and a piano. The fact that it was called 'Hollywood in Piano Forte' intrigued Ash, and she unwrapped it almost as if she were a child at Christmas. She was glad that Scribbs wasn't there to see her as anything short of prim and proper.

Ash was unprepared for the rush of emotion she felt when the first few keys were struck, drawing her in to the music as if to somehow draw her into the movie the song had come from. The music was so beautiful, so gentle, and Ash wished she herself could be like that. If Scribbs had been listening to this CD or something like it, it would easily explain her change in attitude. It dawned on Ash about halfway through the first song what it was and why it made her feel the way she did. The song was 'Tears In Heaven', her favorite song as a teenager, and the brunette smiled. From there, she made it a mental game for herself to figure out the song title and/or the movie the song came from while she undressed and slipped into the bathtub. Ash had a fun time guessing, and on the one or two occasions when she couldn't figure either out, she grabbed fro the CD case to look it up. For the most part, though, the songs were those she recognized, even if she had never seen the movie it was for (like the piano version of 'Kiss From A Rose'), and some of the songs made her want to watch the movie again, like the love theme from 'The Lion King'. Ash felt the tension of the day slowly slip away, and she knew that Scribbs and the CD were to thank for that. She told herself that she'd call the DS the next day, sometime in the afternoon, and do just that. After her bath, Ash took the CD with her into her bedroom and played it at a low volume as she drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile

Scribbs' ice pack was beginning to drip. "Bullocks," she muttered as she unwrapped her ankle and looked at the swelling. It seemed to have gone down, she noted, but not by much. Scribbs glared at it as if it was at fault for her being there, but she knew she was to blame. She'd wanted to do something that would've lifted Ash's mood, as the DI couldn't listen to the CD during work hours. Even if she could, Ash was too formal to do that anyway. Plus, she was pretty sure there was a rule about music in the car. So Scribbs hoped she'd find something else that might make Ash smile. Coffee done 'just right' and put in Ash's favorite mug seemed to have helped,  but afterwards neither of the women were quite satisfied. Then when their prime suspect fled from them in the middle of their murder inquiry, Scribbs didn't hesitate to go after him, ignoring Ash's cries behind her. It wasn't as if the suspect was really that fast of a runner, but he knew his way around his home and was able to get outside quickly. The suspect, a man in about his mid-sixties, ran along the steep gravel hill of his driveway with Scribbs in hot pursuit. Scribbs had suddenly fallen on the gravel when she tripped on a pothole, cutting herself up pretty badly and spraining her ankle.

Ash, being the smart one of the duo, had followed behind them in the car and had cut the man off. The DI had cuffed the suspect and called for another car to come for him before Scribbs could pick herself up from the ground. Then Ash had helped Scribbs into the car and took the rest of the day off to take the blonde to the doctor. "Only I intend to be the knight in shining armor only to end up the damsel in distress," Scribbs muttered with a snort. Despite this, Scribbs couldn't help thinking about how hot Ash looked when she arrested that guy, how her knee was placed firmly in the middle of his back, how some of her hair had fallen out of place during the whole thing, how she walked tall and proud towards the other detective and told him the situation, and (as she got back into the car) how a vain almost popped out of her beautiful neck as she chewed Scribbs out all the way to the hospital.

It'd become apparent that Scribbs more than merely fancied Ash, and she accepted it with a nod to herself, knowing she couldn't do anything about it. Scribbs didn't mind being in love with another woman, but she wished it was anyone but Ash, the straightest straight-laced person she'd ever know. Even if on the small possibility Ash was a little that way, she had rules. Rules rules rules rules rules, and though Scribbs already knew a good fifty percent of them, she couldn't live in fear of breaking one of the ones that were the most important to the DI. Besides, she was quite sure that somewhere near the top of that rule list stated that she wasn't to date coworkers or at least not to date the boss, which may be why she never went after Sullivan.

The longer Scribbs sat there with a leaky ice pack and thinking about Ash, the more the songs began to get to her. She loved the CD and she loved all of the songs on it (as well as the ones she had downloaded), but she wished she wasn't alone in her flat, elevating her leg and going down a mental path that was sure to depress her. She had to admit that the songs were meant to be listened to with company (preferably a lover), perhaps with a glass of champagne next to a roaring fire, but alas, Scribbs had none of those. The blonde sighed and slowly got off of the couch, hobbled over to the sink to empty out the ice pack and make a new one. Then she made her way back to the CD player. Scribbs turned off the song in the middle of 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight', pausing to wonder about Ash. Had she heard the CD yet? What did she think of it? How did she feel about Scribbs giving her the CD to begin with? The blonde then got into bed, yelping when her ankle hit her footboard a little too hard.

The Next Day

The next day, Ash was found at her desk promptly at nine AM. She was going over some of the files Scribbs had been so busy working on the past couple of weeks, as well as turning in the due reports on the recent arrest of Mark Tyrell. She mostly only needed to do a quick spelling and grammar check on Scribbs' work, but her partner had gotten everything down. What sort of surprised Ash- and pleasently so- was that Scribbs had done them all in Ash's prefurred format, which saved her the time of doing it when she thought Scribbs wasn't paying attention. Ash smiled a small smile at this. By 9:45, however, Ash's attention kept straying and many times she had to scold herself. It seemed as if she was distracted when Scribbs wasn't there, which was odd, as Ash always thought that Scribbs was the distraction all on her own. This only seemed to confirm what Ash never wanted to think about, and though she tried to stay away from it all, those thoughts continued to haunt her throughout the rest of her work day. Once she got home and put on 'Hollywood in Paino Forte', she continued to think about Scribbs. After a while, Ash had no choice but to admit to herself that something was happening between them.

Thoughts of her blonde collegue and friend seemed to drift in and out of her mind as the songs came on. Certain images of Scribbs' smile failed to go away. A small part of Ash wanted to go up to Scribbs and tell her that something was changing between them, or perhaps it'd always been there, beneath all of the banter. Ash didn't know how Scribbs would react to that. She wouldn't laugh at her, Ash knew that much, but there'd be an awkward silence. She couldn't go through with it. Perhaps she'd been imagining some of the things, but then...how could Ash misinterpret some of Scribbs' actions, her looks? Some of the looks she'd shared with the blonde had been a full charge of 'just bloody kiss me already!'.

There was also Ash's own insecurities and fears about relationships and lack thereofs, which caused her to create a rule or two to add to her steadily growing list. Scribbs often poked fun at Ash for that and for being from posh society. Would the DS always see her that way? As someone so tight laced and nuerotic that there was no room for change? Perhaps Ash would always be that way. The truth was, though, that even with all of her rules, Scribbs was the only one who ever took the time to memorize them, even as a lark. Just making the effort meant so much to Ash, and if she were to be completely honest with herself, she was sure that Scribbs knew her rules better that Ash herself did.

Ash sighed, letting it turn into a groan as 'The Rose' faded into 'Fur Elise'. She fought the sudden urge to ring Scribbs. She'd told herself that she would, if only to thank her for the CD, but she could also use the excuse of checking up on the ankle as well. And maybe they could just talk. She was starting to feel lonely as she listened to Piano Forte'. Ash walked to her mobile to get Scribbs' number, but once she had it on the screen, she paused. She felt herself getting nervous. She wasn't sure how long she stood there contemplating the dilema, but two or three songs went by before she coaxed her finger onto the button to call her partner. Scribbs answered the phone on the fourth ring, and Ash could hear the heaviness to the blonde's breathing. "Yeah? Scribbins!"

"Scribbs, are you alright?" Ash asked.

"Yeah. I left my mobile in my pants pockets and I had changed hours ago."

"But you've been resting, right? You haven't been running around or anything, have you?"

"Hurts too much to move most the time. I've been going bloody out of my mind, that's what I've been doing," Scribbs replied. "All that's on the tele is soaps and talk shows. I can't wait to get back to work. So, speaking of, how was it?"

"Oh, uh- Nothing to tell, really. I've been over the reports and filling out the information for your medical," Ash said. There was a small hint of lecture in her voice. "Other than that, nothing. Apperently, all the bad guys want to murder people only when you're working."

"No shit, huh. How was Boss looking today?"

"I wouldn't know," Ash said, which wasn't a lie. If Sullivan had said anything past 'good morning' to her, she didn't know it. Hell, Ash had been so distracted all day that if he had tapped danced naked in front of her, she’d barely (no pun intended) aknowledge it. "He was in his office all morning, went to an early lunch meeting or some sort, and no one's seen him since."

"Oh," was all Scribbs could say in responce. In the silence that followed, Ash could faintly hear music, along with Scribbs' breathing, and she tuned her ear to listen to it.

"Scribbs?"

"Huh?"

"Is that Piano Forte'?"

"Yeah, I bought the both of us a copy," Scribbs replied, and Ash could hear the small trace of defenciveness in her voice.

"No, it's not that, I just haven't heard that song before. It is pretty."

"Oh," Scribbs said again, realizing what the brunette was talking about. "Yeah, these are songs I found on the website and downloaded onto my computer.

"I really do enjoy the CD," Ash said softly.

"I'm glad. Hey, why don't you come over for a bit and I can burn you a copy. If you liked the CD I gave you, you'll LOVE the songs I downloaded."

"I don't want to impose-"

"You won't be, trust me."

"Well, it's getting late so..." Ash let herself trail off.

"Just for a tick, then. You can come over and you'll be back on your way within an hour. I'll even go to bed as soon as you're gone." Scribbs said.

"Well, alright," Ash said, trying to sound reluctant, even though she was glad for the invitation. "For an hour."

"An hour," Scribbs repeated.

"See you in a bit then."

"Okay." With that, they both hung up and Ash put her coat back on.

Ash was surprised by the number of people who were coming and going at that hour of the evening. It was only seven thirty, sure, but Ash thought that they'd all be at home eating supper and watching TV by then. Though Middleford didn't have traffic per se, she was still surprised by the amount of cars on the road. Or maybe she hadn't noticed the traffic until then. Ash walked at her usual quick pace up the steps to Scribbs' flat. She knocked on the door and called, "Scribbs? Can I come in?" The brunette was surprised when the door opened a fraction of a second later. "What're you doing up? You should be resting!" Ash scolded as soon as she saw her partner.

"Oh come on, Ash, I was only answering the door, and for you no less," Scribbs replied, not at all concerned with the way the DI looked at her disapprovingly. Ash rolled her eyes and let herself in, following behind Scribbs into the flat. When the blonde began to walk into the kitchen, Ash placed a hand on her shoulder.

"No, you go sit down," she ordered.

"Yes ma'am." Scribbs touched her eyebrow in some sort of salute and hobbled her way back to her couch. She knew that Ash wouldn't be able to see the grin on her face when she heard her partner's heels on the kitchen tile, the mutter of 'This kitchen is filthy,' and the sound of dishes being stacked in the sink.

Ash fought back the urge to start wiping down the counters, which was a hard thing to do. The sound of another new Piano Forte' song stopped her from doing just that. She quickly put the kettle on the stove to boil, then went into the living room. She looked around quickly before sitting down next to Scribbs, being careful not to jostle the ankle. Ash inspected it for a moment, then took a closer look at the deep scrape on the blonde's elbow. From the looks of it, Scribbs had taken the original bandage off, but failed to replace it. Without a word, Ash went to Scribbs' bathroom, got a ball of cotton, rubbing alcohol and a new bandage, and sat back down. Ash motioned towards Scribbs and the DS offered her elbow quietly. It was silent as Ash tended to the scrape, the two women’s eyes locking a couple of times until the tea kettle broke their spell.

When Ash was finished, she found herself hurrying into the kitchen before Scribbs could see the blush on her face. “There are buiscuts in the tin above the fridge,” she heard Scribbs call. She made a small noise to indicate she heard her partner. As she fixed the tea, she heard Scribbs moving about, but before she could yell for the blonde to get her arse back on the couch, she heard the familiar music to one of her favorite movies. Scribbs thought the sound of Ash’s soft, wistful gasp was worth the agonizing pain in her ankle. “This is the song from Casablanca,” the DI said softly, carrying a tray into the room.

“I thought you’d recognize it,” Scribbs said as she made room for Ash on the couch. “This was on the downloaded album, but I think it should have been put with the first CD.”

“I don’t know,” Ash said, “Though I love this song, I think the arrangement on 'Hollywood in Piano Forte’ was beautiful.”

“So you listened to the whole thing?” Scribbs asked. She hadn’t been so sure before that moment if Ash truly liked the gift or not.

“Twice last night,” Ash admitted, playing with the tea cups to hide her blush. “I don’t think I thanked you for it. I mean... truly thanked you.”

“And I don’t think I truly thanked you for saving my arse yesterday,” Scribbs retorted. The two detectives shared a smile before Ash handed Scribbs her cup, made the way she’d want it. “Mm, thank you.”

“So, which of the songs is your favorite?” Ash asked suddenly after another moment to fill some of the silence.

“Though the whole CD is pretty, my favorite song will always be 'The Rose', hands down.”

“I like that song, but I’d have to say that 'Tears In Heaven' will always be a favorite of mine.”

“Favorite growing up?”

“Yeah, you too?”

“Yep.”

After that, a comfortable conversation about movies came around, and it wasn’t long before the two began a small amount of bickering. ‘You don’t like this movie?’ ‘You’ve never seen it? What’s wrong with you?’ and ‘You liked this movie? Me too,’ was heard a lot throughout the conversation. When the CD had gone around once, Scribbs was determined to show Ash how to burn songs onto a CD. The DI didn’t have the heart to tell her friend that she already knew how, besides, why pass up a good opperatunity to lean into Scribbs as she ‘took a closer look at the screen’? With Ash’s copy of the songs onto a CD, the two detectives settled again, talking about childhoods, talking shop, talking about everything in between.

It was getting lighter outside when Ash woke up next. She was a little bit confused as she relaized she wasn't laying down in her own bed, but rather was sitting upright on Scribbs' couch. Ash had been sleeping with her head back, and the brunette felt her neck start to ache because of it. She looked down at her warm lap to see that Scribbs' leg was still evevated in her lap at her insistance the night before, and an afghan blanket spread over the both of them. Ash slowly moved the blanket and inspected Scribbs' ankle again. It looked better than it had the night before, and as the blonde had been moving around a lot then, Ash was sure it felt better, too.

The DI carefully extracted herself from her partner and the couch before looking around for a clock, which was on the stove. The brunette only took two steps before she heard Scribbs' groggy voice. "Ash?"

"I'm sorry Scribbs. I didn't mean to wake you," Ash said softly, turning to look at her friend. The blonde squinted up at her, trying to see her in the semi-darkness. Her hair was messed up, and Ash tried to fight her smile.

"Is... okay," Scribbs said. Ash walked into the kitchen, where she turned on the light bright enough to see around, but soft enough that it didn't hurt Scribbs' eyes. As the DI cleaned out the kettle and tea set, Scribbs tried to wake herself up.

"I'm going to clean up here and then I'm gonna go back to my place to get ready for work," Ash said.

It took Scribbs a moment to comprehend what was said before she nodded. "Okay," she replied softly. There was a silence for many moments as Ash went ahead and did the rest for the dishes in the sink and wiped down the counters. By that point, the brunette was sure Scribbs had fallen back asleep, and didn't blame her. She was surprised, though, to find the blonde sitting up and watching her when she'd gone to put on her coat.

"If I leave now, I can get into work by about 7:30, and then take the afternoon off. There wasn't much to do yesterday, I doubt there's that much more to do today," Ash said, even though both women knew she would to stay the full work day, regardless. Ash had never seen an injured person move as fast as Scribbs as she made her way towards the door next to where Ash was holding onto the doorknob. Scribbs gently took Ash's other hand and looked up at her shyly.

"Maybe then I can take you to lunch?" she wondered. Ash looked down at her left hand, gently folded in both of Scribbs'. The blonde began to feel self consious as a small silence followed. There was a small scoff and Scribbs felt relieved at Ash's reply when it finally came.

"With that ankle?"

"Alright," Scribbs said slowly, letting one of her hands drop to her side and ball into a loose fist, "how about you pick me up at two, we go to that Italian restaurant you like so much, and I pay?"

Ash looked down at their joined hands again, and just when Scribbs had the notion to let go, the brunette brought their hands up to her lip, kissed Scribbs' knuckle, and said, "That'll be lovely, thank you." Without another word, Ash was gone, and Scribbs watched the door close softly behind her. The blonde watched her go through the peephole before she turned around and leaned against the door.

"I won't swoon, I won't swoon, I won't swoon- damn it," Scribbs said. She sighed, deciding that maybe being the damsel of distress wasn't so bad as long as you had someone like Ash coming to the rescue. She limped back to her couch, stopping when she spied the burned CD Ash had forgotten. She wondered for a split second if maybe that was intentional, then decided to get it to her when they went out to lunch that day as she lay on her couch. She put her head on her pillow where Ash had been leaning the night before, taking in the scent of the DI, then she reached for the remote on her coffee table and smiled widely when the first few notes to 'The Rose' began to play again.

END