Basically Ash and Boss love the socks off each other but refuse to acknowledge it - somewhat in the vein of Josh and Donna - and in the finale Boss smooched Ash while spying on some baddies to avoid being discovered as cops and then at the end Ash grabbed Boss and tongued him good and proper to prove that the first kiss was in fact instigated by Boss. She then marched out of the station, the ep ended, and the fic now begins...

Oh no. No, no, no. NO!

"Nice weather we're having," Scribbs comments idly as I sink onto the front steps of the station with a groan.

"Ohhhh, God."

"Looks like rain though. I should have brought my brolly."

"Shut up, Scribbs," I hiss irritably.

"Ash, how long are we going to sit out here?"

I ignore her and drop my head in my hands. "I kissed him."

She pats me on the back with a cheerful, "Yep."

"I kissed Boss."

"Yep," she says, rather satisfactorily for someone who didn't just kiss her boss.

I groan again as I remember. "On the mouth."

"With tongues."

"You're not helping, Scribbs."

"You grabbed him in the middle of the office and snogged him stupid."

"Scribbs."

"In front of everyone," she finishes triumphantly.

"Scribbs!" I look up and give her my best glare.

"And the whole station probably knows now."

"Oh God," I whimper, "the whole station knows now."

"Shame no one got it on video. I mean, like the other time."

"Scribbs!" I shriek. "This is a NIGHTMARE!"

She pats me on the back again, and grins, "You want a razor blade or will pills be dramatic enough for you?"

"My career is over! No one will want me on their team after it gets around that I snogged Boss in front of fifty PC's!" I pull away from her decidedly unsympathetic patting and take several calming deep breaths.

"Not fifty. Twenty, maybe," she says thoughtfully.

"Scribbs!"

"You never know - it may help your career. Put it on your resume. DI Ashurst: willing to snog the boss."

I shake my head and sigh heavily. "Well there's nothing left for it. I'm going to have to dye my hair, change my name, and move to Botswana."

"Botswana?"

"Maybe Ecuador."

Scribbs wrinkles her nose at me. "You think they have margaritas in Ecuador?"

"Okay, I'll move someplace with margaritas."

"Which is really any place where bronzed men in little shorts serve you alcohol."

"Bermuda it is!" Okay, maybe this isn't so bad. I could do with a tan top-up.

"Still," Scribbs muses. "I don't think any of those scantily clothed waiters would be as sexy as Boss."

"You're not helping."

"Sorry," she offers with a wide smile. "Maybe you could become a lesbian?"

"Yes, that's it, Scribbs. I'll weave ribbons through my hair, dress in peasant skirts and rainbow vests, find myself a nice girlfriend called Diesel or Spike or-"

"You think you'd be the femme in the relationship?" Scribbs interrupts. "Cos, you know, I always thought of you-"

"SCRIBBS!" I roar. "You are not helping!"

She leans back on her palms and stares up at the sky. "What do you want me to say then?"

"Tell me what to say! I can't sit out here all day; he'll think something's wrong," I plead desperately.

"There is something wrong!" Scribbs exclaims. "You snogged Boss for no good reason. You can't blame the undercover work this time."

"He kissed me on the obbo."

"Yeah, but you kissed him now. Full on the mouth. With tongues."

"In front of the whole station."

"You're making a big deal about it. It wasn't the whole station."

"As good as. You said it yourself; everyone probably knows now."

"So they'll gossip for a few days and then the next big thing will come along. You know what the boys are like, Ash. They have short attention spans. The fact you snogged Boss-"

"Twice." I interrupt gloomily. "And once was on video. Which will no doubt be played repetitively at every Christmas party from here to kingdom come."

"So what? It gives them a few laughs for a week or so and then they'll be onto the next big thing. My bet's on whether or not Langley's having it off with Parker."

"PC Langley and DC Parker?"

"Yep. He was making these awful moon eyes at her the other day in the caff. Turned me off my lunch, I can tell you. So yeah, I reckon that's gonna be the new pool."

"Scribbs..." I begin warily.

"What?"

"What do you mean 'new pool'?" I stare at her, an unnerving idea niggling at the back of my mind. "Who was the old pool?"

"Erm…" she bites her lips, and then smiles brightly. "Doesn't matter. Langley and Parker," she continues. "Yeah, I'll bet on them; if you want in, you need to talk to-"

"Scribbs!" I interrupt a little forcefully, and she raises her eyebrows at me.

"Yep?"

I try hard not to scream, and say very, very slowly, "Was I part of the old pool?"

"Uh… maybe possibly. Not sure though," she stares up at the sky again. "Yep, I think it's definitely going to rain."

I grab her shoulders and shake her. "Scribbs!"

"Well okay, yes. The old one was about you and Boss. I should have bet on it because I would have cleaned up good."

"There was a pool...?" I trail off faintly.

"Yeah. After the kiss on the obbo the other night. Couple of the tech boys in the van gave odds on when you two would knock knees again."

"And?"

She shrugs again and gives me a cheery smile. "Odds were two to one you'd go home with him afterwards."

"Scribbs!"

"I didn't bet on that, Ash. Don't give me that look. I was going to bet that you would kiss him again within the week. No shagging."

"You were going to?"

She shrugs and rolls her eyes. "Yeah, but I didn't and you wanna know why?"

"Go on," I sigh, leaning back myself to stare at the gathering clouds.

"Because you're my friend. And because you like him no matter what you say - or how much you joke about liking him, I know deep down, in your little secret place... you think he's the bee's knees."

"Scribbs!"

"And even though I won't bet on it, I reckon you'll go hmm... maybe a week before you push him against a wall and snog him senseless again. Only, this time, make sure you do it without an audience."

"SCRIBBS!"

"Why do you keep saying my name like that? Don't tell me you're not thinking it."

"I'm not thinking it - and there's nothing in my deep down secret place except maybe an unhealthy lust for Revels."

"Then you're lying. And don't bother denying it; I've worked with you too long."

"So what if I was thinking it?"

"Aha!"

"Maybe what I was thinking is he won't be able to go a week without grabbing me."

"You think he'll make the first move?"

"Well, technically he already made the first move. My move was the second one."

"So you're taking turns?"

"No! I only mean that technically I responded to his original move. So it's up to him to make another move... right?" Actually, I'm a little unclear on this point; more so unclear if I really want him to make a move.

"Well yeah if you want to die an old maid. Ash, you think he's going to jump on you? Boss? Mr Repressed with all women except those with the ability to fulfil his midlife crisis with able bodies and varied sexual techniques?"

"He's not going through a midlife crisis! He's not midlife... I think." I shake my head. "No, he's definitely under forty. And anyway, maybe he will jump on me," I say defensively. "You know... if the time was right."

"The time is always right for a quick snog. I remember you telling me that months ago. So snog him. In fact, go shag him if you want to."

"I don't want to!"

"You don't want to snog him or don't want to shag him?"

"No. Yes, I do, um, both, yes but not just shag, I mean..." Why isn't my brain working?

"Ash, listen to me very carefully." She reaches over to pat my knee, "You're my best friend. I've never seen you this confused over a man before. You're the go get 'em if you want 'em type of woman. Why is this one any different?"

"Because he's my boss. The Boss." I say it again for emphasis. "BOSS!"

"What if he wasn't your boss though? What if he were a man you randomly met in a bar one night. You've been attracted to him from day one. No," she shakes her head as I open my mouth to protest, "don't deny it. I remember you going all moony eyed at him when his back was turned. You totally wanted to get into his pants."

"Shut up, I did not." I think about it for a second and then concede, "Okay maybe a little. A smidge."

"So now you've got your chance!"

"You don't seriously expect me to shag him, do you?"

"Why not?"

"Uh, because he's my supervisor, you berk."

"So you'll get a good review on your next performance evaluation," Scribbs cackles gleefully. "That is, if you give a good enough performance in the bedroom."

"Oh God," I mutter. "You're seriously insane. I am not going to shag him."

"You said the next move was his; what if that's what he wants?"

"He doesn't."

"How do you know?"

"Because he's not that type of person."

"The type that randomly shags people?"

"Yeah."

"A few weeks ago you thought he was going through a midlife crisis. You thought he was shagging some young bird he'd picked up by the side of the road somewhere."

"I never thought that - you did!" I exclaim. "I thought..."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You thought..." Scribbs mulls it over for a few seconds, "Oh no, Ash? You thought he was trying to make you jealous? She was his estate agent!"

"I did not think that," I scoff. "That's ridiculous. Anyway, so what if he was shagging his estate agent."

"Ha!"

"Oh don't be so bloody smug about it. Whatever. He's just not a player. He's romantic. And... soft."

"Soft?" Scribbs starts to snigger. "Soft and cuddly like a teddy bear?"

"Would you stop taking the piss? You're supposed to be on my side here. If I say he's romantic then he's romantic."

"How on earth did you come to that conclusion?" Scribbs asks. "Seriously, Ash, you have no idea what he's like with a woman."

"I just know, okay?" I lean back on my hands again and watch the clouds roll across the sky. "It's getting dark; we should go back inside."

"Wait a second, how can you know he's a romantic?" Scribbs asks again. "Come on, Ash, you can't just say you know without giving me evidence. You're a Detective Inspector! Logical, conclusive, you just can't go with your gut here."

"Apart from the fact that we seem to solve half our cases using only our instincts," I reply, "think about it for a second. Remember when he was holding that puppy?"

"Oh God, yeah." She nods, "That was disgustingly adorable."

"Right. And you know me - I am so not a dog person. But when I was watching him snuggle with that little thing... well you know."

"A puppy's convinced you that Boss is soft and snugly inside."

"Yes."

"Just because he looks like he couldn't hurt a fly, and yes, he does regularly call his Mum, and he remembers birthdays and special occasions of people in his team... it doesn't mean he's... well fine, maybe you're right." She taps a finger thoughtfully on the concrete step.

"It's not just that," I argue. "It's a feeling, that's all. Yes, it's my instinct and you're female as well so you can't argue that it doesn't exist."

"No, you're right. But, Ash, a man can be a sap around animals and good to his Mum, and still be the love 'em and leave 'em type. The type to pick up a woman in a bar, take her out to his zippy little sports car and give her a good rogering down behind the hedgerow in a country lane."

"We're not in the country, Scribbs. Suburbia isn't the country."

"Close enough. But we're getting off the subject."

"The subject being I'm going to have to go back inside in a minute and face a bunch of boys ready to take the piss out of me."

"You can handle the boys," she waves the idea away with a snort. "Give them the patented DI Ashurst glare."

"Yeah, fine, good. But then I also have to finish typing up our report and give it to you know who."

"Ah, yes. Right. Well, be a professional. March into his office, throw the report on his desk, wish him a good night and march back out again."

"And that will accomplish what exactly?"

"It'll leave him wondering. You know," Scribbs wiggles her fingers around in the air. "He'll be expecting you to say something about the fact you grabbed him for no good reason and snogged him in front of a bunch of your colleagues."

"I had a damn good reason!" I counter. "I was demonstrating how the kiss in the car would have been had it been me kissing him."

"With tongues."

"Yes! No," I clear my throat in a misguided attempt to clear my thoughts. "Yes, that was the only reason I kissed him and if he asks, I'll tell him that."

"You'll tell him that if you had been the one to instigate the kiss during the obbo it would have involved your tongues?"

"Ah well, there was also little bit of that in the car," I mutter softly, vaguely remembering the way his mouth had closed over mine and his tongue had gently stroked my lower lip. How his fingers had pressed into my neck as he held me close, pretending to be my lover to avoid being rumbled by the suspects.

"Well, yeah, that much was obvious from the video. So really, why did you snog him just now?"

"You know what? I just did. I don't know why but I just wanted to grab him and kiss him." A fat raindrop lands on my face and I drop my head back down to stare at the herringbone pattern in my trousers. "I wanted to kiss him again. Maybe to prove something, maybe not."

"Was it good?"

"You were there!"

"Not where you were," she laughs. "Come on, Ash. Tell your old pal Scribbsy all about your first kiss with the man you love."

"Second kiss," I correct her, "and I don't love him."

"Fine," she shrugs. "Tell me anyway."

A second raindrop hits me, this one landing on my knee. It darkens the linen of my trousers and I rub my thumb across it.

"Ash?"

"It was like the first one."

"Oh come on, you know that's not good enough for me."

"Scribbs... it was good. Better than good. It was..." I close my eyes again; another drop of rain splashes on my leg, followed by another and another. "It was different."

"Different... how?"

"Different than I expected. Better than I expected, I guess. Not that I expected it to be bad, but-"

"You've often thought about snogging him, then? And I don't know if you realised but it's raining so I'm going back inside."

I open my eyes as Scribbs stands up and dusts off her trousers. "I've thought about it, yes. Maybe. Late at night, I suppose."

"Woooo, go you!" She holds her palms out to pull me to my feet.

"Shut up, it's not like that and you know it."

"Sorry."

"It was just a kiss - two kisses - it means nothing. It shouldn't mean anything," I mutter as she heaves me upwards. "When did it get so complicated?"

"When you realised you fancied a man who had the ability to fire you?"

I glare at her once more which I know has absolutely no effect but makes me feel slightly better. "You're this close to the edge, Scribbs."

"Yeah, but what are you gonna do about it?" She gives me an evil grin, one that I wish I had the nerve to slap off her face.

"Next time you fancy a guy, I'm going to tell him."

"So I won't tell you I fancy him in the first place."

I roll my eyes at her. "Oh please; you're never able to shut up about whatever pair of jeans takes your fancy."

"Seriously!" She makes a zipping motion across her lips. "You will never know who makes my inside tingle."

"Then I'll just select a random guy and lie to him."

It's her turn to glare at me as we head back into the building. "You would do that, too."

"You know it. And just so we're clear: I don't love him, Scribbs. I don't. Yes, I sort of fancy him, maybe. A little. I mean, who wouldn't?"

"Me. Come on, we'll take the back stairs to avoid running into anyone who was present at the peep show."

I look over at her as we flash our passes to the guard. "Hang on, you don't fancy him?"

"Nope. Sure, he's cute, in that boyish eager puppy kind of way," she shrugs and sighs somewhat unenthusiastically. "But, do I want to shag him? Not so much."

"Why not?" I ask incredulously. "I mean how can you not want to just…"

"Just…?"

"Um, nothing." She's grinning insanely at me, and again I try to avoid the urge to slap her. "What I mean to say is-"

"You want to shove him against a wall and do naughty things to him."

"No!"

"Or maybe you want to whisk him away for a romantic little tryst in the Caribbean? I wonder what he'd look like in a pair of little shorts."

As we round the corner and head towards the back staircase, I try not to imagine exactly what Boss would look like wearing nothing but a pair of tiny shorts and a big teasing grin. Unfortunately, my traitorous imagination takes me there. Wow. Um…

Suddenly light headed, I grip the handrail and stop climbing. God. It's definitely been way too long since I last had a man.

"Told you so," she smirks with triumph as we head up the stairs back to our office. "You're picturing him now."

"Am not." I bring myself back to the reality of the station, the stairs, and Scribbs' leering expression. "You're talking rubbish. I am NOT picturing anything."

"You totally are! You and Boss are lying on a stretch of sandy white beach, and he's rubbing suntan oil on your back and you're rubbing-"

"OH. MY. GOD. Stop right there. Stop. NOW!"

She reaches the top of the stairs and looks down at me. "When you admit that you're picturing it, I will."

"So I'm picturing. So what? I just don't want you imagining Boss and me having sex on a beach."

"Who said anything about sex?" she says airily. "I only mentioned suntan oil. How do you go from suntan oil to sex?"

"You led me there!" I screech. I can't believe how childish I'm acting right now.

"Ash, I did no such thing. All I said was suntan oil which is what any normal person would think was normal when talking about sunbathing. If you're imagining having sex with Boss, well, that's all your doing. Not mine. I think you really just need to go tell him you want him."

"SCRIBBS!" I roar. "No, I do not want to have sex with Boss. Yes, he's hot, yes he's incredibly sexy and has those gorgeous blue eyes, and oh God, he smells really, really good but I DO NOT WANT TO SHAG HIM, SO SHUT UP!"

"If you insist." Scribbs wrinkles her nose at me. "But maybe you want to say that a little quieter. Or perhaps not at all when he's standing right behind you?"

In total panicky dread, I spin around to face.... an empty hallway and then, in complete and utter fury, I whip back to Scribbs.

"Right, I'm transferring you out of here."

Scribbs grins at me. "I don't think you've got the authority. You need to get approval from the higher ups."

"So I'll go to Boss and-" I grit my teeth and push past her into our office. "I hate you. I am not speaking to you ever again."

"I give you five minutes."

I press my lips together and collapse into my chair and Scribbs sits opposite, continuing to grin. I flick on the computer, determined to finish my report, dump it on his desk while completely ignoring him, and get the hell out of there as quickly as possible.

"Ash."

I ignore her and start banging away at the keyboard.

"Ash?"

I don't even know what I'm typing; the screen is a blur. I am not going to cry. This isn't a crying moment. Maybe tonight, when I go home, I'll drown myself in a vat of cheap cask wine from the local offy but right now, I have a job to finish.

"Ash, would you please at least look at me?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I told you this was different, Scribbs. Maybe I did picture something slightly x-rated but..." I stop typing and stare at her. "Do you really think this is a joke to me?"

She shrugs. "Well-"

"Because it isn't. It's not."

"It's not a joke?" She tips her head on the side and quickly scoots her chair closer to me. "What do you mean?"

"He's different than every other man I've fancied." I close my eyes and try to regulate my breathing which seems to be psychotically erratic. "God, what do you think I mean, Scribbs?"

"I think it means you think it's more? You and Boss. Is it more?"

"More than what?"

"A passing fancy. Is he…" she pauses and I flick my eyes open to stare at her. "Do you…?"

"I don't know," I moan softly, totally, completely, brain numbingly confused. "I don't know anything. I mean, yes I fancy him - who wouldn't?"

"Me."

"You really don't fancy him?" I don't quite believe her.

"I said so before."

"So if he came up to you and said 'Scribbs I want you right here and now'… you'd say no?"

She rolls her eyes at me. "Okay, we've already established that I'd say no. You're trying to avoid the subject here, Ash."

"Which is?"

"You're in love with him, of course," she says matter of factly.

"I most certainly am not!" I huff. "I can't possibly love him. I can't."

"Why?"

"I don't know him. I mean, okay, yes I do know him. I mean we've worked together for over a year. I mean, we're friends, I think…" I pause and scrub at my face with my hands. "I mean…"

"How many times do you want to say what you think you mean? And you do realise you've just smeared your eyeliner?"

"My nightmare of a life is complete then," I sigh with resignation. "Give me a mirror."

Scribbs reaches into her desk drawer and hands me a tiny compact along with a tissue. I peer into the mirror and wipe away the black streaks.

"So that little ramble before," she prods. "What do you really mean?"

"I don't love him."

"Right."

"I don't!"

"Of course you don't. How can you love him when you don't know him?"

"Exactly."

"See, now we're on the same wavelength here."

I give my cheeks a final wipe and hand her the mirror. "Really? You mean you're as confused as I am?"

"What are you confused about, Ash? You don't love him.

"Of course I don't. I only mean-"

"Don't start with the 'I mean' again," Scribbs groans. "You're doing my head in."

"Well how the hell do you think I feel?" I snap, banging my hand on the keyboard to emphasise my frustration. "I have no idea what I feel!"

"Go and talk to him."

I shake my head violently. "I don't think so."

"Tell him what you feel. Or at least what you think you feel."

"Oh God, Scribbs. I just..." I trail off, once more unsure of what to say. "I just..."

"You're in love with him," she says firmly. "I know you are. You know you are."

"I know." I can't really think of anything else to say except the truth. I am in love with him. "I love him. I do. I can't help myself, I know it's not a good idea, but there it is. I'm in love with him."

Scribbs' eyes widen in shock. "What?"

"What?"

"You're in LOVE WITH HIM?" she shrieks. "You're in love with Boss?"

"You said I was!" I shoot back at her. "You said I was and so I thought about it and realised-"

"I was joking," she insists. "I was trying to freak you out. Oh my God, you're really in love with him?"

"YES!" I roar at her. "Yes I am in love with Boss. I think about him every night. I wonder where he is, what he's doing, who he's doing it with. The idea that he might not feel the same way as me."

"Ash-"

"And that's not all," I'm on a roll now; everything I've so carefully hidden away is sensing freedom and making a break for the light. "I picture us in a little stone cottage with honeysuckle growing over the fence and ivy and fat little babies playing with their toes in the sun dappled grass. I imagine curling up with him in front of the fire and sharing a mug of hot chocolate and talking about nothing and everything.

"Ash!"

"I think about how it would be to grow old with him, Scribbs! I've never imagined anything past the second or third date with anyone else. And I'm thinking about what to name our kids and where we should live so they get into the right schools!"

I stop talking almost as quickly as I had started. Scribbs is staring wide eyed "What I mean is... yes. I do like him in that way."

"Wow," she shakes her head slowly. "Wow, um... well. Hmm."

"Oh, well said," I snark. "You're a big help. What the hell do I do now?"

"Well you can't tell him!" she hisses. "God, you can't tell him - think of the humiliation."

"Hang on, what?" She's gone and confused me again. When I'm on speaking terms with Boss, I'm definitely getting her transferred.

"You can't tell him you love him, Ash."

"Okay well you said I should go tell him. Something I really don't think I should do except for the fact that not five minutes ago you were completely jumping at the idea."

"That was before I knew how you really, you know, felt." She drums her fingers on the desk. "Okay, I have an idea."

"Shoot. Please. Literally. With a gun," I plead, holding two fingers up to my temple. "Right here."

"Shut up and listen."

"Listening," I sigh.

"Take the report to him. Tell him you apologise for embarrassing him."

"The report that I have yet to complete?"

"You're almost done. Do it, take it, apologise and then say that you didn't mean to kiss him with everyone watching like that." She grins. "Easy!"

I frown at her. "And that's it?"

"Yep."

"And... then?"

"See what he says!"

"I'm really, really confused here. How is that supposed to achieve anything?"

"Look, it's all sneaky and devious, something that you're absolutely brilliant at, mind you. You tell him that you didn't mean to kiss him in front of everyone."

"Putting the emphasis on those words?"

"Exactly," Scribbs nods, obviously pleased that she's made her point.

"So..." I begin, trying hard to see exactly what her point is. "Basically I'm saying sorry for snogging him in front of an audience but not sorry for the actual snogging?"

"Exactly," she repeats. "And then see what he says."

"You really think he's going to be able to crack that code? He is a man, after all. They're not that clever."

Scribbs gives me another shrug. "Look, Ash, that's the best you got really. You want to go in there and profess your undying love although, by the way, I still can't believe that you actually do love him."

"Excuse me? Are you saying there's something wrong with him?"

"No! I just mean, well... I think it's great. If he feels the same. If not, well you're well and truly screwed."

"Cheers, thanks," I mutter. "I'm seriously reconsidering you as my best friend. I think there's any number of people floating around this station that would be a lot easier to have in my life."

"But not as much fun," she grins. "You're stalling now. Finish the report."

I start typing again. "So what am I supposed to do if he does figure out what I'm saying?"

Scribbs leans back in her chair and crosses her legs. "If it seems good then ask him on a date. No wait, a drink. No pressure in a casual drink. And then no pressure if the one drink turns into dinner and then dessert and then loud, rampant sex in his little sports car in a country lane."

"Drink, maybe. That's it. But what-"

"If it goes bad, well, no harm done really. If he doesn't feel the same - or at least doesn't have any feelings in any capacity for you, then you're safe because all you really did was apologise."

"It worries me that you seem to know everything about men and yet don't have one."

"I have standards."

"That better not be a dig at me." I flick through the pages of handwritten notes to see if I've missed anything.

"Not at all. He's a catch. With those dreamy eyes and that really gorgeously firm butt..."

I look up suspiciously. "Scribbs, are you sure you don't fancy him?"

"I can appreciate a man without wanting him, you know. Like a fine wine," she says casually. "Ogling is an art form in this day and age."

"You really need to get laid," I laugh, and she reaches across to flick at my arm.

"So do you."

"Yeah well," I pause, unsure of what to say that won't have her cackling yet again with amusement. "I'm not going to shag him."

"Sure."

I turn the computer monitor towards her. "Proof read that while I get my coat."

"Ooh, good idea. Go in there all dressed for the off and he won't be prepared and therefore will be totally honest."

"Totally ready to tell me that I'm being transferred out of his station because it's completely inappropriate to twice snog him in the space of as many days?"

"He snogged you first. Everyone agrees on that now."

"Oh yes, I'll use that as my argument," I agree with heavy sarcasm and retrieve my coat from the stand. "Is it okay?"

"Perfectly fine. Want me to print it?" She busies herself at the keyboard and I grab my bag from beneath my desk.

"Yeah, ta."

"So I'll just get home by myself then?"

"Um..."

"Should I wait, or should I go? Because if we're tempting the fates here then I should stay; that way he'll definitely try to get into your pants."

"Oh, shut UP!"

"Sorry." She's not sorry at all, of course. Yep. I seriously have to reconsider her presence in my life.

"Give me the report and wait here okay. Nothing's going to happen - I don't want anything to happen. I'll drop this off, apologise for the kissing and yes, I'll even put in your little line to try and trick him into admitting something - if anything. But there will be no sex."

"Ash-"

"I'm not going to shag him tonight."

"Oookay then," she shrugs, and hands me the report. "Best of British luck to ya, then."

"Shut up," I wither at her. "Give me five minutes and I'll meet you out front."

"Okiedokie."

I turn on my heel and march out of my office and up to the third floor. Despite the fact I'm ready to forget this whole stupid plan and turn around and run like a baby back to Scribbs, I'm surprisingly calm all of a sudden. So what if I'm in love with him? I can still work with him if he doesn't feel the same. I'm professional. He doesn't have to know. I can casually drop Scribbs' line into the conversation and take it from there.

I've done undercover work before. I can play the game. Easy. I pause outside his office door, take a deep breath, and then knock lightly.

"Boss?"

"Come in."

I push open the door and poke my head around. "Hey, um, I just wanted to drop off the final report on the case." I wave the file at him.

"Well you can hardly give it to me from out there now, can you?"

"No, of course, you're right," I nod and shuffle forward into the room. "Sorry." My voice doesn't sound like mine. I sound like an idiot. I am an idiot. Oh my God, what the hell am I about to do? I'm flushing my career down the toilet for no good reason.

Except... I love him. And my career is over because of it. I'm going to kill Scribbs for forcing me to confess my true feelings. It's the answer to everything: Scribbs is always to blame.

"Ash!"

"Uh... yeah?" I meet his gaze; his eyes, normally glowing with barely suppressed laughter, are dark and unreadable.

"Did you actually need me for something other than the report or did you just come up here to stare at my carpet?"

Oh God, how can he be so calm about this? Surely he must be feeling something. Remembering. How is it that men can turn their emotions on and off so easily?

"Sorry, uh, yeah," I lean forward and drop the file on his desk. "Final report."

"So you said." He reaches over to flip through the pages. "Thanks."

"Sure." I stand there a few more seconds, childishly scuffing my boots on the carpet. I have no idea when the right moment to apologise is; I'm only hoping it'll present itself before I wear a hole in the pattern.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you want something else?" His eyebrows raise ever so slightly. "I'm sure this is fine. Is there anything else in here that you didn't cover in the debrief?"

"No."

"Okay, see you tomorrow." He flips over another page and I stare at him. Come on, Ash.

"Uh, Boss, Sir... Boss?"

"Yes, Ash?" he queries, his voice tinged with annoyance.

"The report... it's okay?" Oh my God, what the hell am I doing? Say it, you fool!

"It's fine," he frowns, and then tips his head to the side. "Do you want a gold star for your work or something?"

"What?" I frown back at him, confused. All of a sudden, I realise that he doesn't feel the same, that whatever flirtatious games we've been playing for the past year have been just that. Games. The teasing, the winks, the random excuses to touch each other.

The dancing in the hallway a few weeks ago...

Nothing.

"This. Is. Fine. You. Can. Go. Now," he practically spells out my dismissal. "Good night." He swivels his chair away to face the window as he continues to flick through the file.

"Thank you. Sir." I back away, feeling behind me for the door knob; feeling like I'm going to burst into loud, pathetic tears; feeling like I've never felt before. "Sorry, I'll just be going."

"Good."

"Sorry," I just about manage whisper as my fingers close over the handle and I twist it to open the door. "I... I didn't mean to kiss you. I'm sorry. You'll have my request for a transfer by the morning."

And the day was going so well; look where it's ended up.

He looks up sharply. "I'm sorry?"

"No, I'm the sorry one. For kissing you. In front of everyone. I mean, I basically molested you in the hallway. And for that, I apologise."

"You don't have to apologise, Ash. In fact, I feel it necessary to apologise for grabbing you in the car without any warning."

"Call it even?" I offer weakly, realising that I've just stumbled onto the solution of being able to stay in my job without the embarrassment of admitting my feelings. "We can just pretend that neither kiss happened and just go about the business of solving crimes and other things."

He stands up, dropping the file on his desk. "Is that what you want?"

"Is that what... you want?"

He nods slowly. "Well, it's what you want, right? To forget that it happened?"

"Uh... sure okay. Yes."

"So we didn't kiss in the car nor did we kiss in the hallway this evening?"

"Right." I lick my lips, acutely aware that he hasn't stopped staring at me since he stood up. Also, does the man ever blink? "So... I'm gonna go now. And I'll see you tomorrow?"

He smiles softly, the tiny crease in his cheek taunting me with its sexiness. "I'll be here."

"Great. Good. Okay then." I open the door. "So... no more kissing, right?"

"If that's what you want, then I won't kiss you again."

"Uh... good." No, my brain is screaming, it's not good. Turn around and kiss the man, you idiot! "Shut up!" I hiss to myself.

"Shut up?"

"Ah, nothing. Just, you know, talking to myself." I laugh gaily in an attempt to show him how much of an idiot I really am.

He grins a little wider. "Why are you telling yourself to shut up? I mean, I have no problems with that, in fact I think you talk too much sometimes."

"Oh cheers, thanks, Boss."

"You know what I mean," he continues to grin. "Come on, talk to me?"

"About?"

The grin fades. "About what happened earlier."

"There's nothing to talk about," I wave my hand at him. "It's over, forgotten. Don't worry about any feelings there might be."

"Ash... whatever feelings there might be... they're inappropriate for someone our positions. You're in my chain of command. It's not a good idea."

"I know. It's stupid. It's dumb and I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, you're my supervisor... I'm sorry." I back away again. I don't care anymore about this; I just have to get away from him. With relief, I slip out the open door, ignoring him as he starts talking again.

"Don't go. Ash, stop running away. Ash... KATE!"

If there's one thing that gets my goat, it's being called by my given name. I stop mid stride and storm back into his office, giving him my best glare. "Kate?! How many times have I told you to never call me that?"

"It got your attention though," he barks at me. "What do you mean, what you were thinking? I was talking about me."

"Hang on, what?"

"My feelings, Ash. For you. They're not right, and I just wanted to make it clear that no matter what I feel, it's not going to affect our working relationship."

"Boss, do you...?"

"No!" He shakes his head. "No, I don't. At least... no, I really don't."

"Soooo... we're cool, right? You feel nothing and I feel nothing and there are no feelings at all here?" I think there's a possibility that I'm going cross eyed here. I have no idea if he fancies me or not but there's no way I'm going to ask him outright.

"Right. Except... okay, you need to go now." Abruptly he stops talking, breaking eye contact at the same time. His hand fiddles with his tie.

I stare at his long, slim fingers as they play with the tie I'd been pressed up against less than an hour earlier. The shirt that I'd curled my fingers into to drag him close. The mouth I'd tasted that left me wanting more.

I guess I have my answer. We're going nowhere fast. As I pretty much guessed we would be.

"I'm sorry for kissing you in front of everyone," I say again, emphasising the words as Scribbs instructed. "And now I should go." I take a half step out the door. "See you tomorrow."

"Ash?" he says quickly. "What do you mean in front of everyone?"

Oh God. I can't believe Scribbs was right about something for once. "I only meant that-"

"Are you sorry for kissing me in front of other people, or for kissing me no matter who was watching?"

"Well," I say, so softly that he has to lean forward to hear. "It's more the first one I think."

He raises his eyebrows, and moves out from the confines of his desk. I back away, realising that no matter how I feel about him, if he takes one step closer, I'm going to pass out from the feeling I've quickly come to identify as lust.

Ash."

"I think you should just stay right there."

"And I think you should stop avoiding this, Ash."

I glare at him. "You stop avoiding it then!"

"I'm avoiding nothing. At all. In fact, as I remember, I kissed you first!"

"To avoid being rumbled."

"Why are we fighting, Ash? As far as I'm aware... we're both in agreement about how we feel here."

"Which is?" I splutter. "You just stand there and smile at me with that mouth and your eyes and now you're walking towards me," I start backing away again but he reaches a hand out to stop me from making a quick escape, "and okay, hang on, what are you doing?"

He's smiling at me with that gorgeous wide grin and those soft blue eyes with the little crinkles at the sides.

"Uh..."

"Sometimes I just want to shake you, Ash. Just to make you listen to me," he says softly. His fingers unbutton my coat and he pushes it off my shoulders. With a smile, his hands tightly grasp my upper arms.

"That's ABH, Boss. At the very least, harassment. You could go to jail for that."

"Oh really?" He raises his eyebrows and bends down to whisper in my ear, "Will you put the handcuffs on me?"

"I could have you on the floor in two seconds flat," I hiss, fervently hoping that he can't hear my heart pounding.

"I look forward to it, Ash," he murmurs, his mouth so close to my neck that I can feel the vibrations of the words on my skin.

"Okay." I can't say anything else really; his mouth is suddenly moving along the side of my neck and down across my throat. I tip my head back to allow him better access; my fog filled brain vaguely protests the fact that I seem to be forgetting something.

Scribbs... waiting... whatever...

Ash?" His teeth scratch lightly at my chin.

"Yes?" I breathe.

He stops the gentle nibbles on my skin and looks at me. "I'm crazy in love with you, Ash. I have been for months. I just don't know how to tell you without making a complete fool of myself, which I think... I just did."

"Okay."

"I don't care that maybe my superiors will think it's a bad idea and I don't care that the whole station will know within minutes."

"Okay."

"That's all you have to say?" he smiles but I can see uncertainty in his eyes.

"Ah... I feel the same way?"

His fingers grip my shoulders. "Was that a question?"

"No."

I don't say anything after that, and neither does he. In fact, we don't say anything for several minutes because we're both too involved in some seriously heavy snogging.

After he finally drags his lips away from mine for a few quick inhales of air, he continues kissing back down my chin. I tip my head back as he starts nuzzling my throat. God, the man certainly does know where to find all the best spots.

"So... um, you fancy maybe getting a drink?" I offer and let my fingers slide over the small of his back, heading downwards. "Or dinner. Or something else. You can pick."

"The something else sounds good," he groans as I settle my hands firmly on his ass to pull him against me.

"Okay, Boss. Um... James. Jamie. Jim. Jimbo? Sorry, I don't know what to call you."

"I've always liked Boss."

"Yeah but really, I only use that ironically. You know you're not really going the boss in this relationship."

"Ah, when was this decided?" His fingers walk themselves along my shoulder, dragging my blouse with them as they pass.

"In the beginning," I confess with a smile, revelling the way his fingers are scratching on the now bare skin of my shoulder. "When I first met you."

"I don't get a say in this?"

"Nope. But you do get a say in where we go for drinks tonight."

"So it's going to be a fair relationship, then?"

"Exactly."