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ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.

Fortune Favours the Brave
By Annette

 

Kate Ashurst was a very precise person. Her day was always planned the night before and when her schedule was disrupted... well, let's just say she didn't generally take it well. And so it was that she began to grow agitated when she looked at her watch and realized it was already half-eight and there was no sign of her partner. "Well, I guess I'll just have to go roust her," sighed the brunette as she released her seat belt and exited her car. "I don't recall her talking about a date. I certainly hope I don't run into one of her bloody tossers."

Walking up to the door she pressed the buzzer repeatedly to no avail. "Perhaps it's not working properly." She reasoned as she let herself into Scribbs' flat. Not immediately spotting the blonde, she walked toward the bedroom. She thought she could hear a noise coming from behind the door and so she called out. "Scribbins, are you ready yet? We're running late." Getting no response she walked toward the door to knock.

"Oh yes, oh that feels so good!"

"Bloody hell she's still at it!" Ash certainly didn't envisage catching her partner having a romp and so she turned to leave. Just as she was beginning to walk away she heard it.

"Oh yes, oh Kate!"

"Kate? A bloke named Kate?" Ash's eyes were just about popping out of her head as she tried to come to terms with what she'd just heard. "She must've said Nate... I'm sure of it." Resigned to that fact, Ash made her way out of the flat and got back inside the car to wait for her partner. Ash decided it might be best to ring the flat if they were to make any time. She let the phone ring knowing Scribbs would require additional time to answer.

"Oy, where's the fire!" An out of breath Emma Scribbins panted into the phone.

The brunette felt a shiver run through her at her partners' breathy response. Shaking it off she answered crisply, "Detective Sergeant, we were supposed to be at a scene at half-eight. I've been ringing and knocking on your door and calling you for the past ten minutes."

"Glad she didn't pop in!" Scribbs mumbled as she tried to come up with a proper excuse for her tardiness.

"What was that?" Ash queried, although with her exceptional hearing she was able to understand what'd been said.

"Oh, n…nothing, just give me five and I'll be right down." Hanging up the phone Scribbs quickly dressed, washed up and headed out the door. "Of all mornings to have an early call! How am I supposed to sit beside the very woman who – even though she doesn't have a clue – just brought me to a screaming orgasm?" Doing her best to compose herself the blonde slid into her seat and buckled her seatbelt. Staring straight ahead she prayed that Ash would just reprimand her for her tardiness as she pulled away. Instead she was met with silence and a non-moving vehicle.

"Scribbs, you seem a bit flushed, are you sure you're alright?" The brunette asked, biting her lip to keep from laughing at the distraught blonde.

Clearing her suddenly dry throat Scribbs managed to rasp out a reply. "I'm fine, really."

"I dunno, you sound a bit hoarse as well. Either you've got a cold coming on or you've done a good bit of screaming recently." She was biting her lip so hard now she was certain to draw blood.

Whipping her head around she looked at her partner with wide eyes. "What do you mean? I… I told you I was fine." Realizing that she'd actually turned and was now looking at her partner she was about to look away when she spotted it. Ever so slight it was but she could see it… a bit of a curl at the corners of those luscious lips and a sparkle in those gorgeous eyes. Ash was having her on! If she only knew how close to the mark she was. "Shouldn't we be getting on? We are late aren't we?"

Ash realized that she was, in fact, shirking her duties in order to tease her partner. "Right you are, I just wanted to be sure you were alright before we went out the site of the murder."

"Well, thanks, but as I already told you I am fine." The crossed arms of the blonde let her partner know she was done with this line of discussion and so she stared straight ahead, willing the car to move.

Ash took pity and, putting the car in gear, drove off without further comment. Well for a few minutes at any rate – she was just so enjoying making Scribbs squirm. "I got a card from my cousin NATE the other day."

"I didn't know you had a cousin Nate, I don't believe you've ever mentioned him."

Not getting the expected reaction Ash thought perhaps she'd chosen the wrong name. "Did I say Nate, I meant TATE."

"Tate. That's an odd name isn't it?" Scribbs looked over at the brunette. "You've never mentioned a Tate either – as a matter of fact I don't think you've ever spoken of any cousins."

"Oh sod it then, who's Kate?" Ash's fingers tightened on the steering wheel as her curiosity finally got the better of her.

"Kate?" Scribbs looked at her questioningly. "The only Kate I know is you."

Pulling off to the side of the road Ash put the car in neutral and applied the brake before turning to her partner. "Then why were you yelling my name…" The brunette's eyes grew round and her pale complexion managed to go a few shades lighter. "Oh God, you… me… you."

Realization struck the blonde as if delivered by an anvil as she sucked in a breath. "You did come in to my flat this morning!"

All Ash could do was nod in answer as her mind tried to wrap around this new situation.

"And you heard me call out your name?"

Again a nod.

Scribbs stared for a moment not quite knowing what to do and then suddenly she was out the door and running.

It took a few seconds for Ash to realize that she should probably give chase and so she too started to run. Knowing that Scribbs was actually a fairly quick sprinter she could only hope her better endurance would allow her to catch the blonde. Just as she'd planned to hunker down for a long run she came upon the crumpled figure of her partner. She was still well away from her when she heard the sobbing. Picking up the pace she quickly knelt beside the weeping woman and took her into her arms. Scribbs resisted initially but Ash would have none of it. "Hey, it's alright Scribbs, please try to calm yourself."

"I'm… I'm so sorry Ash." The blonde hiccoughed through her tears. "Please don't hate me."

Holding her partner tightly Ash rubbed soothing circles on her back as she whispered in her ear. "I could never hate you Emma, never. You're much more brave than I could ever be. Shh, hush now love, everything will be alright."

Scribbs sniffled a few last times and pulled back to look into her partner's luminous eyes. "Did you just call me… Emma?"

Again Ash could only nod.

"And you also called me love?"

"Yes, I love you Emma Scribbins. I have for some time now. I just never imagined myself ever being able to tell you so."

"You love me?"

Again a nod from the brunette.

"Tell me please Ash, say it."

"Emma, I love you." Ash reached out to cup the blonde's cheek and drew her in for a sweet, lingering kiss.

"Now who's being the brave one." Scribbs asked as she moved in for another sweet kiss.

The End

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