DISCLAIMER: Murder in Suburbia and its characters are the property of ITV. No infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just a short bit of smut. Just because. Thanks to Rachel for giving me some help with some British-isms. Don't blame her for the ones I got wrong.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.

Reason
By Harper

"Eyes closed."

The snapped command from the other room startled Scribbs into opening her eyes in the exact opposite of what she'd been instructed to do and she frowned.

"That one wasn't my fault," she muttered, closing them again and crossing her arms over her chest. And then, more loudly, she called out, "I wasn't peeking anyway."

"Of course you were," Ash called back, the changing volume of her voice indicating that she was moving closer.

Scribbs' frown turned into a pout. "I wasn't," she protested. "I like surprises. I wouldn't want to ruin it."

Footsteps padded across the room, stopping just shy of the bed, and Scribbs sat up straighter in anticipation. Eyes still closed, she maneuvered onto her knees, blindly facing the direction from which she'd heard Ash approach.

"Yes, well," Ash's voice was uncharacteristically tight, the words nervous and quick, "I don't want you to get your hopes up. I realize that all of this build up was perhaps quite unnecessary, and now you're probably thinking that you're going to open your eyes to something fantastic and you're only going to be disappointed. I don't know why I ever thought this might be a good idea, but when we were working that case I thought I noticed..."

"Oh, come on now," Scribbs broke in, voice cajoling. "I already liked my first prezzie. A second one's just icing on the cake. And besides, I'm sure I'll like this one too. So can I open my eyes now? The suspense is killing me."

"First you have to promise you won't laugh," Ash said fiercely, and Scribbs could almost picture the severe frown that must have accompanied the words. It was one of her favorite expressions, though she'd never admit that to Ash who would surely be insulted by the notion.

"Promise," Scribbs said solemnly. "Now, please Ash… Any longer and it won't even be my birthday anymore."

With a resigned sigh, Ash said, "Very well, then. Open your eyes."

With a great deal of excitement, Scribbs did just that.

"Fuck me, Ash," she blurted a moment later, eyes wide. Standing rather sheepishly in front of her stood the brunette in question, wearing a short bottle green skirt, a purple blazer with a white button-down beneath, loosely knotted black tie, gray knee socks, ponytail, and a hesitant smile.

"I knew this was a bad idea," Ash muttered, tugging awkwardly on the hem of her skirt. "I'll just… I'll go change and we can watch a movie or…"

"No," Scribbs yelped, nearly leaping forward to grab Ash's arm before she could disappear. "If you take that off, I won't speak to you for a week. Maybe longer."

Perking up slightly, Ash offered a shy smile. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Scribbs verified, a hint of wonder in her tone. "You did this for me? For my birthday?"

Normally Ash would have felt compelled to point out the idiocy of Scribbs' questions, but at that moment, she could only nod shallowly, eyes watching the blonde's every move.

"It's the best gift ever," Scribbs said earnestly, crawling forward so that she was even with the edge of the bed. "Though if you'd told me, I could've brought mine as well and we could have played naughty schoolgirls."

Warming slightly in the face of Scribbs' obvious enthusiasm, Ash teased, "It wouldn't have been a surprise then, would it?"

"Guess not," Scribbs said with a shrug. "Ooh, but I've got a better idea. How about naughty schoolgirl and stern headmistress?"

Slightly perturbed, Ash frowned in confusion. "Why do we have to play anything?"

But Scribbs' mind was already off and racing, her eyes nearly glazing over at the possibilities. "I could have you over my knee," she said huskily, reaching out to snag Ash's tie, pulling the other woman closer. "Or down between my legs, using the naughty tongue that probably got you into trouble in the first place to convince me that you don't need a caning after all."

Scribbs had always been far more open about saying what was on her mind than had Ash, a trait which had certainly carried over to the bedroom. Ash was more of the sort who was apt to just go on and do something, pushing forward infinitesimally until she hit her or her partner's limit. Scribbs, on the other hand, took great delight not only in the acts and the pushing of boundaries but also the discussion of them. She had no qualms about putting her lips against the curve of Ash's ear and whispering things that made the brunette's skin burn with embarrassment. And arousal, though Ash had never verbally admitted that.

Not that she really had to.

"Something you have experience with?" she couldn't help but ask, reaching forward to place a balancing hand on Scribbs' shoulder as the other woman tugged her closer.

"Me?" Scribbs asked, face scrunching up in disgust. "Not likely. My headmaster was decrepit and musty. Now, if you'd been across the desk from me glowering like you do when you're mad, I'd have certainly given it a shot."

Ash's lip curled up in the hint of a smirk before she let her face drop into the glower in question, one brow arching impatiently for added effect.

"Oh, that one," Scribbs purred, abandoning her hold on Ash's tie to wrap her arm around the other woman's waist, tugging Ash to her hard. Running her nose along the curve of Ash's neck and up under her ear, she whispered, "It makes me want to do dirty things to you, DI Ashurst, when you do that."

"Tonight," Ash murmured, her voice coming out rougher than she'd anticipated, "you have my complete permission to do them all."

"All of them?"

"Within reason."

"To hell with reason," Scribbs chuckled, hands slipping down to Ash's bottom. Ever so slowly, she began to tug the skirt upwards, the fabric tickling against the backs of Ash's thighs as it went, and Ash wrapped her arms around Scribbs' neck, needing some sort of connection. She touched their foreheads together for a brief moment, then kissed the other woman softly, the barely there brush a gentle prelude to the deeper press of her lips.

"That's more like it," Scribbs husked moments later, pulling back slightly, short nails digging into the bare flesh she'd uncovered. The move earned a hiss, and she smiled, one hand moving to soothe the flesh with a comforting caress. As the tips of her fingers brushed over the thin layer of lace that comprised her partner's underwear, she eased down into a seated position and smiled up at Ash. "Did you always wear things like this under your uniform?"

"No. I made a slight modification in honor of the occasion," Ash admitted, watching as Scribbs brought her hands around to tackle the buttons of her shirt. They moved swiftly, well practiced with removing said garment from this position, and soon Scribbs' palms were pressed flat against her belly.

"Black?" Scribbs smirked, her hands tracing back up the other woman's torso to cup her breasts, admiring the contrast of her pale skin against the dark lace.

Ash blushed slightly, but made sure that Scribbs was looking her in the eye as she said, "I thought you might appreciate it."

"You thought right."

Giving another tug to the loosened tie, Scribb's jerked Ash down so that she was straddling her thighs, both of them balanced somewhat precariously on the edge of the bed. The move pushed Ash's skirt up, exposing a long length of bare thigh, and she had to grab onto Scribbs to keep from toppling them over.

"Is it wrong of me to want to have you just like this?" Scribbs asked, leaning forward to wrap her teeth around a taut nipple, lace rough against her tongue as she sucked hard.

Ash wasn't entirely sure what the other woman meant by that, but she shook her head 'no' nonetheless, sure that whatever Scribbs wanted to do would be just fine by her. Wanting more contact, she slid her fingers into soft blonde hair, holding Scribbs to her as she let her chin drop forward, cheek resting atop Scribbs' head as the other woman continued to tease her. "It's not wrong at all," she said breathlessly, whimpering as Scribbs shifted her position, teeth finding a new home.

The feel of Scribbs' hand sliding up the inside of her thigh made her jump. And then there were fingers sliding back and forth on the outside of her underwear, the touch light and teasing and destined to drive her mad. Unable to stop herself, Ash pressed down against the tortuously light pressure, earning a soft bite in response as Scribbs pulled away.

"Bad girl," she chastised, lips sliding up to Ash's neck. Ash had never fully understood how Scribbs did the thing that she was doing, the thing that drove her nearly crazy with need, but she eagerly let her head drop back, baring her neck in offering. The trusting gesture earned her a pleased growl and the press of a single finger, and the increased pressure made her whimper, made her silently curse the barrier of lace separating her flesh from Scribbs'. But, moments later, as that finger began to move with agonizing slowness, dragging back and forth over her clit, she forgot to care.

"You wouldn't have looked twice at me back then," Scribbs rasped, trailing her hand up and then back down, slipping underneath the waistband of Ash's underwear. Moments later, her fingers slid against unprotected wetness and Ash's hips rocked forward slightly, the movement unconscious.

"I imagine it would have been the other way around," Ash said, breath hitching as she felt Scribbs' fingers slide deep inside her without further prelude, the pressure full and immediate.

Scribbs scooted back on the bed slightly, bringing Ash with her so that the brunette's knees dug into the mattress on either side of her thighs. She leaned back on her elbow, body curled up so that she was looking up at Ash. "Oh, come on. Head Girl at Posh Girl's High… I don't think you would have been cavorting around with the likes of me," she teased gently. Then, eyes turning dark, she husked, "But tonight I've got your full permission to do what I want, Ash, and what I want is to watch you."

Ash was on the verge of asking Scribbs just what it was she wanted to watch her do when the answer hit her. "Oh," she gulped, the word small and timid. She wanted to protest, but the look of hopeful anticipation in Scribbs' eyes cut the words short. And so she considered it, thought there were possibly much worse things Scribbs could have asked for, even if just the thought of Scribbs watching her do what she was fairly sure she wanted her to do left Ash feeling shy and vulnerable. So instead of giving voice to her instinctive refusal, she nodded, reached down to put her hand on Scribbs shoulder – thought briefly about pointing out that Scribbs was still wearing the dress she'd worn to dinner and that, aside from her unbuttoned shirt and askew tie, she was still in her full school uniform, including socks – and closed her eyes.

The first thrust down onto Scribbs' fingers was tentative, careful, as if she was afraid she'd somehow break the other woman. When the movement earned her an encouraging smile instead, Ash did it again, gasping in surprise as Scribbs curled her fingers inward, causing an explosion of feeling.

"That's it, Ash," Scribbs whimpered, the sight of the other woman's eyes fluttering closed in unexpected pleasure almost enough to drive her over the edge.

Flexing her thighs, fingers tightening against Scribbs' shoulder as she began to ease into an easy, steady rhythm, Ash growled, "Call me Kate. No one called me Ash when I was in school."

"Kate," Scribbs groaned, the name like fire on her tongue. "You're absolutely gorgeous. I could watch you like this forever."

Instead of responding, Ash let her head drop forward, teeth digging into her bottom lip and ponytail sliding over her shoulder, eyes focused steadfastly on Scribbs', the teasing posture as blatant as she felt comfortable making. She took deep satisfaction in the way Scribbs seemed to melt before her very eyes in response, lips parting around a choked cry and tongue flicked out unconsciously.

"I don't think I could do this forever," she murmured, the last word dying off in a hiss as she began to move her hips faster, eyes clenching shut. A second later, she darted forward, her free hand landing on the mattress as she brought her lips to Scribbs' for a short, hard kiss, the need to bring them even closer together almost visceral. The force of the move drove Scribbs back into the bedding, her supporting arm slipping free, and so Ash planted her other hand into the mattress, lips still fierce against the blonde's as she continued to move. The new position pressed the palm of Scribbs' trapped hand hard against her clit, and Ash slipped into a new rhythm, grinding herself down on the teasing pressure.

"Oh, fuck." The new sensation ricocheted through her, and Ash pulled back with a strangled cry, head snapping back and eyes squeezing shut as she felt the first harbingers of orgasm. Her hand found Scribbs' shoulder again, nails digging painfully into the blonde's skin as she pressed herself shamelessly against the pressure she needed, hips now jerking awkwardly as the pleasure, in cycling waves, threatened to be too much before subsiding and her body pushed her for more.

"God," she hissed, body freezing suddenly, eyes opening as she stared down at Scribbs blindly, the look on her face one of startled disbelief.

Scribbs thought she was going to die from the deliciousness of the moment. She watched as Ash's climax raced through her, as she tensed and shivered, and thought for an instant that she was going to join her.

Moments later, Ash collapsed on top of her with a whimper, body still taut and trembling, and Scribbs gently withdrew her hand, rolling them over so that she was draped on top of the brunette.

"Hmm," she purred, nuzzling into Ash's neck, drawing forth a sharp inhale of surprise and pleasure. "Could we have my birthday again tomorrow?"

Ash shook her head, still panting. "I don't think I could handle it."

"Guess I'll just have to make the most of tonight, then," Scribbs said with a devilish smile. "Maybe we should take our clothes off for the rest of it."

"I don't have the strength."

"Well, you'd better find it. That isn't the only thing I want to watch you do tonight," Scribbs murmured, eyes glowing. "You promised me anything I wanted."

"Within reason."

Leaning closer, breath brushing against Ash's ear and sending a shiver down her spine, Scribbs whispered, "To hell with reason."

The End

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