Without Me

Crazy in Love

"Tom did what?" Marshall shouted causing Ashley to flinch back and away from him a little. She'd just explained to him what had happened when she'd gone home and how she had made the decision about bringing Jamie over to stay the night with them at Marshall's.

"Calm down there's nothing you can do about it now. Plus let Jamie get to know Lizzy, I'm sure he doesn't want to talk about it," Ashley spoke placing her hand on his arm, her hand rubbing up and down it to calm him down. She had never thought he'd get so mad and protective over Jamie the way he was. She felt sorry for any of the boys that dare break up with one of his girls, although it would be a conversation she would like to see especially if they were like any of her previous boyfriends

"Fine, but if Tom comes around, I'll..."

"You'll do what Marshall because if you so much as do anything, then it wouldn't look good on you," Ashley tried to explain, but the blank face he gave her was enough to know he didn't understand what she was getting at.

"What do you mean Ash it won't look go on me. I've known Tom as long as you have, there won't be a problem if all I wanna do is talk to him," Marshall shrugged turning back to the food that was still cooking on the stove behind him.

"In all that time you've known Tom he ever once talked to you ever?" Ashley posed the question. Marshall to say the least was taken by surprise as he turned around to look at her once more.

"Yeah..." He trailed off as he looked into Ashley's eyes, her questioning stare burrowing holes into him, "no," he finally said looking away from her and down at his feet.

"You know why?" Ashley asked, he just shook his head and she sighed reaching her hand out to touch his cheek, "I wanna tell you I really do, but I don't want you to get upset or worse make you hate Tom even more because after all people get back together."

"If it's the fact he doesn't like me, then I don't give a fuck," Marshall moved away from her touch, back to his cooking and looking at the cookbook making sure he was doing everything right.

Ashley just stood watching him as he continued with making the dinner in silence. She knew that it bothered him because when something bothered him or he was upset he'd get very quiet. Usually, he'd go out for a walk around the outside of the house or down to his studio to write. However, he was making dinner and so he was rather restricted with his movements and very much confined to the kitchen.

"Hey, mom can I take Lizzy home. I really hate that I'm here when it's only supposed to be you two," Jamie bounded into the kitchen and Ashley was happy to see that meeting Lizzy had made him feel a lot better. Although she knew he wasn't going to be complete over Tom yet. Despite that she thought it was for the best that he went back over to the house, so making sure he had all the right stuff for Lizzy in the morning Ashley allowed him to go back home. She also told him not to bother Elton to much, since he did have a tendency to talk to the man for hours, not that was a bad thing.

***

"Marshall?" Ashley called out to him for what felt like the hundredth time, when in fact it was only the second. He'd finished making dinner and they were sat together at the little two-person table that he had pulled out from the corner of the Kitchen and stuck a candle in the middle. Ashley watched him as his eyes followed the wax as it dripped down the outside of the candle before it landed in the metal pan that held it upright.

"Why are you letting this bother you. I thought you didn't care what people thought about you. There are plenty of people in this world that aren't great fans of you and you know why?" Ashley reached out to place her hand on top of his, the sudden contact made him finally look up and acknowledge that he hadn't been eating alone for the past five minutes.

"Why?"He coughed slightly as his voice came out in a low growl which caused Ashley to raise a brow, hoping he wasn't getting a sore throat or sick.

"Because they'd don't understand you the way your friends do, the way your daughters do, the way Jamie does and the way I do," she brought his hand up to her lips so she could give plant a soft kiss to it, "the way I feel and the way your family right now feels about you is all you should worry about ok," Marshall slowly nodded a ghost of a smile flicked across his lips before it disappeared. That little sign was enough for Ashley to know that he was feeling better.

"I love you, you know that right and I always have. I never knew why I did, but I know now and it's when you say stuff like that. You never have once put me down or made me feel like shit. That's why I love you."

"Look at you being all romantic," Ashley giggled getting up from her seat so she could kneel down on the floor and look at him, " I love you too, funnily enough, it's exactly the same reason apart from one other thing. You have never ever hurt me, mentally or physically and I know you never will," she then took his face in her hands and pulled him in for a kiss that was full of love and passion.

The Kiss would have defiantly lasted longer and perhaps turned into something more if it wasn't for the sudden sound of someone hammering against the door and quite clearly shouting that they were the police.

"What the fuck," they muttered to each other simultaneously. Neither of them knowing what was happening in the slightest.