DISCLAIMER: I do not own, all characters belong to some one else.
CHALLENGE: Written for the Dead of Winter ficathon.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.

Engagement and a Rolling Pin?
By LoriDragus

 

"So how was your dinner with your parents," asked Scribbs as she drove the two of them to interview the mother of their current victim.

"Good, very good," Ash replied turning her head to look out the window.

"What, you're not going to rant about your parents asking you when you're going to get married?"

"No," Ash replied once again looking away from her partner.

"Why not? You always rant when they've asked you when you're getting married," Scribbs said as she pulled up in front of the house of the woman they were there to interview.

Both women got out of the car and headed for the front door.

"What, tell your mother you're a lesbian or something?"Scribbs asked as they reached the door and Ash knocked.

Spinning around to face her partner, Ash started to say something when the door opened. She quickly turned back around. "Good evening, I'm DI Ashurst and this is DS Scribbins. Could we have a few minutes of your time?" Ash asked as she put her ID back in her jacket pocket. "We need to ask you a few questions about your son, Donald."

The small elderly woman nodded at Ash and opened the door for the two women to enter. Ash looked back at her partner before walking into the house, a scowl plastered across her face. Scribbs followed her partner into the house smiling.

An hour later Ash and Scribbs were finally able to leave the home of the slightly insane mother of the deceased.

Scribbs was in such a hurry to leave the presence of Donald Krays' mother that she was caught completely off guard when Ash grabed her arm, bringing her to a stop on the sidewalk. Still holding Scribbs' arm Ash spun her partner around to face her.

"I did not tell my mother that I was a lesbian," Ash said through gritted teeth.

"What?" Scribbs asked with a lost look on her face.

"At dinner with my parents last night."

Scribbs smiled as her earlier conversation with Ash came back to her.

"Right, the dinner with your parents," replied Scribbs as she continued walking toward their car. "So why didn't she ask you when you were getting married?"

Ash followed her blonde partner to the car, wishing that Scribbs would stop asking questions.

"Scribbs, what are the rules about my parents?" Ash asked as she got into the car.

Turning Scribbs looked at her very livid, dark haired partner; as she started the car.

"Never remind them what your chosen profession is."

"Besides that," Ash said as they started the drive back to the station.

Shrugging her shoulders, Scribbs continued to drive.

Ash sighed and ticked off her rules.

"Never mention my parents, dinner, or marriage in the same conversation."

Ash had begun to think that Scribbs had given up on her line of questioning when she heard the woman ask, "So you going to tell me what it was that got your mother to shut up about you marrying?"

Ash turned to look at the blonde and gave in.

"William Wellington, III."

"William Wallford, III?" Scribbs asked confusion crossing her face.

"No, Wellington. He's asked me to marry him and I've said yes."

The car jerked to a stop as Scribbs slammed on the brakes.

"You what?" Scribbs said trying not to yell at her partner.

"William asked me to marry him last night at dinner. My parents were staring at me so expectantly that I just had to say yes," Ash said as she tried to lean as far away as possible from Scribbs.

"Who is this Willie Waddleton? Never heard you mention him before."

"William Wellington," Ash automatically corrected. "He's the son of an old friend of my father's. We've known each other for years. Dated once in a while."

Scribbs turned back around in her seat and resumed driving toward the office.

The silence in the car had started to get on Ash's nerves when Scribbs finally chose to speak.

"When's the wedding?"

Great Ash thought, couldn't she ask an easier question.

"We haven't set a day yet."

Scribbs continued to concentrate on the road as she drove.

Scribbs was still far too quite for Ash's liking.

"Were you going to ask me to be a bridesmaid?" Scribbs asked glancing quickly to the left.

Ash sputtered out, "What?"

"You know, awful pastel gown, really ugly shoes, and hen party organizer. A bridesmaid."

To say Ash was stunned would have been an understatement.

"Why would you want to be a bridesmaid?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Scribbs replied as she pulled into the station parking lot.

"There are a lot of reasons why," Ash said as she got out of the car.

"Like what?" Scribbs asked holding the door open for Ash.

"For starters ugly pastel gowns, bad shoes, and being in charge of the hen party."

Their conversation came to a halt as they both entered the CID room and made their way to Sullivan's office and gave their report on the Krays' case.

Forty five minutes later they were on their way to interview the partner of the deceased young man. Ash chose to drive with the hope that Scribbs would not bring up their earlier conversation. No such luck as Scribbs asked, "You know I would really like to be one of your bridesmaids."

Trying to ignore her partner Ash continued driving and didn't answer.

"I mean we're friends right. Been through a lot together. Not to mention bridesmaids always pull at weddings."

"Scribbs could you drop this. We have a case to solve. And I'm not sure it would be appropriate for you to be a bridesmaid," Ash finally said.

Ash pulled in front of the bakery owned by the deceased young man and his partner and parked.

Scribbs turned to look at her friend.

"Come on, why not?" Scribbs asked with that infernal puppy dog look on her face.

"First there was that retirement party for Hutchenson and the fact the two of us spent half the night in the cloak room," Ash said trying not to look at Scribbs.

"We where both pissed. Didn't count."

"What about the Christmas parties for the last three years?"

"Pissed, didn't count," Scribbs replied as she turned to look out the front window.

Scribbs was looking out the window when she saw the partner of Donald Krays come running out the doors of the bakery, and head straight for them.

Scribbs quickly got out of the car. Ash got out a second later having finally noticed what was going on.

The man fell to his knees in front of Scribbs, grabbing her legs, crying and babbling at the same time.

"Arrest me, arrest me. I did it. Donnie, my beautiful Donnie. I didn't mean to, but he just wouldn't shut up about the Krige's. About how the party had gone. That he was so glad that we were invited. Or about how handsome their grandson was. He went on and on about that. And I had enough. I told him to shut it. He didn't. So I hit him over the head. I didn't mean for him to die. I just wanted him to shut up," the distraught young man kneeling before Scribbs blurted out.

Ash walked over to the man, pulled him to his feet and began putting her handcuffs on him.

"So what did you hit him with?" Ash said as she snapped the handcuffs closed.

The suspect bowed his head and started crying again, "With the engraved rolling pin he gave me for our tenth anniversary."

Ash looked up in time to see Scribbs trying not to laugh.

The drive back to the station was thankfully quiet, Ash mused to herself.

"You never did finish telling me why I shouldn't be a bridesmaid." Scribbs said breaking the silence.

"There are all those times we've been on surveillance duty," Ash replied with a satisfied smile.

"Can't count them. We were bored and had to pass the time somehow," Scribbs said smiling back.

"You can't be serious," Ash said in an almost yell. "You cannot use boredom as an excuse. We knew perfectly well what we were doing."

"OK, but I still don't see why I can't be a bridesmaid. I mean so we've had a few shags. What's the big deal?"

Ash sighed as she leaned back in her seat. Why did she put up with this?

"Look, Scribbs, there's not going to be a wedding."

"Why not? You said the two of you were engaged."

"Yes, well," Ash stuttered trying to get the words out. "I'm not really Willie's type."

Scribbs turned to look at Ash once more and raised her eye at her. "What is his type?"

"Male," Ash said as they finally arrived at the station.

Both women got out of the car and headed toward the building.

"So he just asked you to put his parents off?"

"Yes," Ash said to her very smug looking partner.

"So exactly how are you going to pull this off?"

"We'll have a very long engagement. Followed by a terrific row that ends with me calling the engagement off. Hopefully this will give us both a couple of years peace."

Scribbs smiled as she followed her partner into the building. Happy she wasn't going to have to see her partner marry someone any time soon.

The End

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