Fic: Fallen (9/?)
Fallen
by Erin Griffin
Fandom: Murder In Suburbia, slight Imagine Me And You crossover
Pairing: Ash/Scribbs, Rachel/Luce
Rating: NC-17 (eventually)
Disclaimer: ITV owns these characters.
Summary: When Ash falls and hits her head one rainy afternoon, she wakes up without her recent memory. What she does remember leads her to believe she is married to Scribbs, so to help her get better, Scribbs has to care for Ash as her wife, which leads to many new revelations about her partner... and herself.
Warning: This story has heavy angst, mentions of murder (duh), rape, and other unpleasant things, which is why it will only be mentioned. There is also hurt/comfort, something I don't do that much if ever in fic, so we'll see how it all works out.
*Again, thanks be to my beta!*
Chapter 9
Both Ash and Scribbs stood in a small silence lasting all of maybe seven seconds. Scribbs hadn’t expected Ash to ask her anything about cheating. She’d expected for the brunette to wonder what was happening, why her things were in Scribbs’ flat, or even about their friendship, how it would change from there (to which Scribbs would tell her that it wouldn’t).
Ash, on the other hand, started to wonder if she’d been silly in thinking that Scribbs was cheating on her. She looked at her wife and watched her confused face. She’d expected Scribbs to frown and deny Ash’s accusation right away, but she hadn’t, and this took some of the wind out of her sails. Still, there had been the phone calls, and this prompted Ash to ask again, “Are you having an affair?”
There, the slight scowl she’d been waiting for was there. “Kate, I would never cheat on you.”
“I think you’re lying,” Ash said simply. “Who’s Jesse? He called for you this afternoon.”
“Jesse’s the reporter, Kate. Don’t you remember? He’s always trying to get me for information on cases,” Scribbs explained. “I haven’t spoken to him in almost a year now.” As Scribbs spoke, images of a dark man entered her mind, just as they had when he’d called. These images were just as confusing as before. Apperently, she did remember, but why was Ash pushing her wife towards this man instead of letting her jealousy get the better of her like she used to?”
“Okay,” Ash said, her tone softer, yet still a little bit icy, “Okay, I do remember him,” she admitted. “Who is Dunn, then?”
At his name, Scribbs froze. She couldn’t help it. She’d forgotten all about him in the last week, but all she could think then was ‘I hope he didn’t say something stupid.’ “Dunn’s an ex-boyfriend. Before I became your wife,” Scribbs answered carefully. Maybe a bit too carefully. Both women acknowledged the fact that Scribb wasn’t lying, and in a small way, this was a relief to Ash. Still, something wasn’t right about the whole thing. If she wasn’t lying, the surely she wasn’t telling the whole truth, either. Ash knew that.
“Then why would he call about a missed date?”
“Because he’s delusional? Look Kate, there’s nothing between us anymore, and I don’t know why he’d call me now.”
“I must have over estimated you, Emma. I thought you would come up with something a little bit better than that.”
“Than what?” Scribbs asked, her voice gaining more volume. “The truth? What do you want me to say, Ash- Kate? That, yes, I did cheat on you with two different men, just like the slut you obviously think I am?”
“If it all fits-“
“ ‘If it all fits’,” Scribbs cut in with a scoff, stuffing her hands into her pockets, “inside your margines and according to your rules, right?”
“Rules? What-“
“I may be a slut, but you should know by now that I’m a monogamous slut. But if the guillotine’s coming down anyway, I may as well have cheated on you. What does it matter if we’re not really married.”
“How dare you,” Ash said coldly, though her eyes blazed. “Is that how you really feel?”
“No Darling, I-“
“Our marriage license may not be recognized here, but you are my wife. It’s true, I shouldn’t have said that you’re some kind of slut, but that was just cruel.”
Scribbs reached out her hand as if to comfort Ash, but at the slightest movement the brunette moved away from her. “I know, and I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? That’s not-“ Ash stopped talking for a moment when her voice broke and her eyes welled. “I can’t talk right now.” Ash turned quickly and went to the bedroom, closing the door with a little bit of force behind her. Scribbs flinched and walked to the couch, where she sat with her head in her hands.
A few minutes later, Scribbs heard what sounded like Ash blowing her nose, and felt like pond scum. She made Ash cry. No one makes Ash cry, and yet she had. Wasn’t she, as her best friend, supposed to kick the arse of anyone who hurt her? How could she kick her own arse? She would if she physically could. No matter what Ash may have said first, this whole marriage thing was off limits as ammunition to get back at her. Any dunderhead knew that. “Except for this dunderhead,” Scribbs mumbled angrily. She wanted to storm in the bedroom and apologize, to force Ash to let Scribbs hold her and try to make it right. It wouldn’t work with her, though. It’d only make things worse.
As she spread out the blanket she’d used the night before, she tried to put herself in Ash’s shoes, playing the whole week over as if Ash was caring for her after a fall and not the other way around. These thought only made her feel worse. If the one person outside of family she ever loved told Scribbs that they weren’t married, her first translation of that would be ‘so what, I don’t love you’, and Ash was right, it was a really cruel thing for her to say. Scribbs sighed angrily as she fell into a short fitfull sleep.
Ash’s touch was soft, almost exploratory, and Scribbs woke up slightly confused. The confusion left right away as the brunette above her spoke. “I…”
“What do you need?” Scribbs asked, hoping to prompt Ash into speaking to her.
“I can’t sleep another night without you by my side. First the hospital and then last night,” she said, mostly in murmurs.
“I thought-“
Ash put her hand up in a small wave between them. “Yes I know, and I thank you for giving me the time and space I needed, but I need you now.” Ash bent down and their lips met. This time Scribbs responded immediately, trying to prove that her words earlier held no meaning. She wasn’t sure id Ash got the messege or not. The kiss ended on mutual grounds, each woman pilling away at the same time. Ash held out her hand and Scribbs took it, sighing when their fingers linked. Scribbs swallowed as she followed Ash silently to the bedroom and tried not to get nervous. She really shouldn’t have been as nervous as she was. She’d shared a bed with Ash before and had in fact been almost eager to do so. Of course, then Scribbs was mostly teasing Ash with talk of the honeymoon suite because she could tell then the brunette wasn’t too keen on the idea of sleeping over in an old folk’s home to begin with.
It was silent as Scribbs put on her pajamas, looking every so often at Ash, who had her back to her. It was odd to see Ash on the right side of the bed after the small fuss she made about it in Birch Grove, but she shook it aside. If there was nothing else to be learned from this experience, it was that a lot of things have changed and will continue to do so.
Scribbs slowly slipped into bed next to Ash, being careful not to jostle the brunette too much. She thought Ash was asleep until the DI slowly turned over and cuddled into her, breaking every rule she ever had in Birch Grove. “We’ll talk about this in the morning,” Ash asked against the blonde’s neck, and Scribbs hummed her response.”
“Mm-hmm,”
“No matter what, Emma, I love you.”
“Kate…”
“In the morning,” Ash said almost dismissively.
“I never meant to hurt you-“
Scribbs,” Ash said a little more solid, halting further movement from the blonde, “in the morning.”
“Okay.”
It fell silent between them as Ash’s breathing slowed right away. The use of her nickname really started something in Scribbs’ mind. She didn’t know that she could get used to Ash calling her by her birth name and not her nick name. If Scribbs were honest with herself, calling her by her nickname after a week of calling her Emma felt like a small sting, as if Ash was trying to get even for the comment she’d made earlier, but would she really do that? Maybe not intentionally. At any rate, it got Scribbs’ attention, but it felt odd to her for some reason.
Ash shifted a little bit, moving her injured arm with her. Being like this with Ash wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be. She brushed a strand of hair from Ash’s face and kissed her forehead before she settled in herself. She could do this, she thought to herself. She had to try harder to be Ash’s wife for as long as it took. She promised she would, and she intended to keep it.
by Erin Griffin
Fandom: Murder In Suburbia, slight Imagine Me And You crossover
Pairing: Ash/Scribbs, Rachel/Luce
Rating: NC-17 (eventually)
Disclaimer: ITV owns these characters.
Summary: When Ash falls and hits her head one rainy afternoon, she wakes up without her recent memory. What she does remember leads her to believe she is married to Scribbs, so to help her get better, Scribbs has to care for Ash as her wife, which leads to many new revelations about her partner... and herself.
Warning: This story has heavy angst, mentions of murder (duh), rape, and other unpleasant things, which is why it will only be mentioned. There is also hurt/comfort, something I don't do that much if ever in fic, so we'll see how it all works out.
*Again, thanks be to my beta!*
Chapter 9
Both Ash and Scribbs stood in a small silence lasting all of maybe seven seconds. Scribbs hadn’t expected Ash to ask her anything about cheating. She’d expected for the brunette to wonder what was happening, why her things were in Scribbs’ flat, or even about their friendship, how it would change from there (to which Scribbs would tell her that it wouldn’t).
Ash, on the other hand, started to wonder if she’d been silly in thinking that Scribbs was cheating on her. She looked at her wife and watched her confused face. She’d expected Scribbs to frown and deny Ash’s accusation right away, but she hadn’t, and this took some of the wind out of her sails. Still, there had been the phone calls, and this prompted Ash to ask again, “Are you having an affair?”
There, the slight scowl she’d been waiting for was there. “Kate, I would never cheat on you.”
“I think you’re lying,” Ash said simply. “Who’s Jesse? He called for you this afternoon.”
“Jesse’s the reporter, Kate. Don’t you remember? He’s always trying to get me for information on cases,” Scribbs explained. “I haven’t spoken to him in almost a year now.” As Scribbs spoke, images of a dark man entered her mind, just as they had when he’d called. These images were just as confusing as before. Apperently, she did remember, but why was Ash pushing her wife towards this man instead of letting her jealousy get the better of her like she used to?”
“Okay,” Ash said, her tone softer, yet still a little bit icy, “Okay, I do remember him,” she admitted. “Who is Dunn, then?”
At his name, Scribbs froze. She couldn’t help it. She’d forgotten all about him in the last week, but all she could think then was ‘I hope he didn’t say something stupid.’ “Dunn’s an ex-boyfriend. Before I became your wife,” Scribbs answered carefully. Maybe a bit too carefully. Both women acknowledged the fact that Scribb wasn’t lying, and in a small way, this was a relief to Ash. Still, something wasn’t right about the whole thing. If she wasn’t lying, the surely she wasn’t telling the whole truth, either. Ash knew that.
“Then why would he call about a missed date?”
“Because he’s delusional? Look Kate, there’s nothing between us anymore, and I don’t know why he’d call me now.”
“I must have over estimated you, Emma. I thought you would come up with something a little bit better than that.”
“Than what?” Scribbs asked, her voice gaining more volume. “The truth? What do you want me to say, Ash- Kate? That, yes, I did cheat on you with two different men, just like the slut you obviously think I am?”
“If it all fits-“
“ ‘If it all fits’,” Scribbs cut in with a scoff, stuffing her hands into her pockets, “inside your margines and according to your rules, right?”
“Rules? What-“
“I may be a slut, but you should know by now that I’m a monogamous slut. But if the guillotine’s coming down anyway, I may as well have cheated on you. What does it matter if we’re not really married.”
“How dare you,” Ash said coldly, though her eyes blazed. “Is that how you really feel?”
“No Darling, I-“
“Our marriage license may not be recognized here, but you are my wife. It’s true, I shouldn’t have said that you’re some kind of slut, but that was just cruel.”
Scribbs reached out her hand as if to comfort Ash, but at the slightest movement the brunette moved away from her. “I know, and I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? That’s not-“ Ash stopped talking for a moment when her voice broke and her eyes welled. “I can’t talk right now.” Ash turned quickly and went to the bedroom, closing the door with a little bit of force behind her. Scribbs flinched and walked to the couch, where she sat with her head in her hands.
A few minutes later, Scribbs heard what sounded like Ash blowing her nose, and felt like pond scum. She made Ash cry. No one makes Ash cry, and yet she had. Wasn’t she, as her best friend, supposed to kick the arse of anyone who hurt her? How could she kick her own arse? She would if she physically could. No matter what Ash may have said first, this whole marriage thing was off limits as ammunition to get back at her. Any dunderhead knew that. “Except for this dunderhead,” Scribbs mumbled angrily. She wanted to storm in the bedroom and apologize, to force Ash to let Scribbs hold her and try to make it right. It wouldn’t work with her, though. It’d only make things worse.
As she spread out the blanket she’d used the night before, she tried to put herself in Ash’s shoes, playing the whole week over as if Ash was caring for her after a fall and not the other way around. These thought only made her feel worse. If the one person outside of family she ever loved told Scribbs that they weren’t married, her first translation of that would be ‘so what, I don’t love you’, and Ash was right, it was a really cruel thing for her to say. Scribbs sighed angrily as she fell into a short fitfull sleep.
Ash’s touch was soft, almost exploratory, and Scribbs woke up slightly confused. The confusion left right away as the brunette above her spoke. “I…”
“What do you need?” Scribbs asked, hoping to prompt Ash into speaking to her.
“I can’t sleep another night without you by my side. First the hospital and then last night,” she said, mostly in murmurs.
“I thought-“
Ash put her hand up in a small wave between them. “Yes I know, and I thank you for giving me the time and space I needed, but I need you now.” Ash bent down and their lips met. This time Scribbs responded immediately, trying to prove that her words earlier held no meaning. She wasn’t sure id Ash got the messege or not. The kiss ended on mutual grounds, each woman pilling away at the same time. Ash held out her hand and Scribbs took it, sighing when their fingers linked. Scribbs swallowed as she followed Ash silently to the bedroom and tried not to get nervous. She really shouldn’t have been as nervous as she was. She’d shared a bed with Ash before and had in fact been almost eager to do so. Of course, then Scribbs was mostly teasing Ash with talk of the honeymoon suite because she could tell then the brunette wasn’t too keen on the idea of sleeping over in an old folk’s home to begin with.
It was silent as Scribbs put on her pajamas, looking every so often at Ash, who had her back to her. It was odd to see Ash on the right side of the bed after the small fuss she made about it in Birch Grove, but she shook it aside. If there was nothing else to be learned from this experience, it was that a lot of things have changed and will continue to do so.
Scribbs slowly slipped into bed next to Ash, being careful not to jostle the brunette too much. She thought Ash was asleep until the DI slowly turned over and cuddled into her, breaking every rule she ever had in Birch Grove. “We’ll talk about this in the morning,” Ash asked against the blonde’s neck, and Scribbs hummed her response.”
“Mm-hmm,”
“No matter what, Emma, I love you.”
“Kate…”
“In the morning,” Ash said almost dismissively.
“I never meant to hurt you-“
Scribbs,” Ash said a little more solid, halting further movement from the blonde, “in the morning.”
“Okay.”
It fell silent between them as Ash’s breathing slowed right away. The use of her nickname really started something in Scribbs’ mind. She didn’t know that she could get used to Ash calling her by her birth name and not her nick name. If Scribbs were honest with herself, calling her by her nickname after a week of calling her Emma felt like a small sting, as if Ash was trying to get even for the comment she’d made earlier, but would she really do that? Maybe not intentionally. At any rate, it got Scribbs’ attention, but it felt odd to her for some reason.
Ash shifted a little bit, moving her injured arm with her. Being like this with Ash wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be. She brushed a strand of hair from Ash’s face and kissed her forehead before she settled in herself. She could do this, she thought to herself. She had to try harder to be Ash’s wife for as long as it took. She promised she would, and she intended to keep it.