002

Gretchen had been staying with Ash for a couple of days when Halloween had arrived. The two of them were both big fans of the holiday and were looking forward to spending it together. Gretch, of course, had made sure she dressed for the occasion. Her costume of choice was Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice. She wore a red spider web poncho, black lace knee socks, a black choker, black shorts under the poncho and a black wig. She'd also gotten their dogs, Sinatra and Howie as Woody and Buzz Lightyear. While Ash had been at work that week, she had taken it upon herself to get his house all decked out for Halloween, inside and out.

It was getting later in the evening and the two had handed out plenty of candy to eager trick or treaters. Every so often there would be a knock at the door, but they were getting fewer and farther between. With the half-empty bowl of chocolate in her lap, she was seated next to Ash on the couch. She had a leg rested on his as they watched the original Pet Sematary.

"Doesn't matter how old I am, meningitis lady still spooks me. I used to think she was hiding at the end of my bed under my covers to get my toes. Edward Scissorhands was there too." She picked up a Kit Kat and unwrapped it. "He wanted my ankles."

"Really?" Ash laughed and looked sidelong at her, "I'd have thought you were one of the girls who pined for ol' Eddie. He was a whiz with hair and bush sculptures, after all."

"Ash, he wanted my ankles. He was in cahoots with meningitis lady." She shook head. "I can't pine for someone like that. Not when I need my ankles."

"Ankles are important." He was completely serious, "next to knees, probably the most. Well, elbows might be on there too. And hands." He glanced at the door, "think we should shut it down? It's been a while since we had anyone."

"Yeah, I suppose so." She stretched a bit and then set the bowl down on the coffee table. "I'll go turn off the light." She got up and walked to the front door, locking up tight and turning off the outside lights. "It sucks you have to get up early and we have to end the Halloween fun." She took her seat back and leaned against him.

Ash sighed, nodding in agreement. "It's a necessary evil, though. Gotta work... damned obligations." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. "Have to say though, this was nice. Last few years, I haven't really done the Halloween thing. Was either sleeping or working which is a hell of a downer. Last year, I didn't even buy a pumpkin to carve." He looked at the screen for a moment, finding a strange sort of peace in the familiar scenes— he'd seen this movie at least a hundred times and the book it was based on was easily in his top ten even though it was so damned dark and depressing.

"Did I tell you how much I love the costume?" He grinned, looking down at her. "Had a huge crush on Lydia way back when that movie was new. Definitely a tie between her and Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams."

Gretchen grinned back at him as her shoulders went up in a casual shrug. "That's interesting because I actually bought a Wednesday Addams costume as a backup?" She'd never felt as safe or appreciated as she did when Ash held her. They had connected deeply and quickly over the past few days and Gretchen knew that crush she'd had for so long was becoming more. "Could have some adventures with both costumes."

"Those braids..." he let out a mock-ecstatic groan, "and that pilgrim dress. Oh the things I would have done to her. I dunno, G... I don't think you're ready for that jelly."

Her mouth dropped open in mock shock. "I do declare, that kind of talk is just not proper or fittin'." She started fanning herself. "I do believe I need my smelling salts."

"Heavens to Betsy... dear sister Gretchen has caught herself the vapors!" He played up the Southern accent quite convincingly, "best get you to the faintin' couch before something terrible happens!"

"Ohhhh noooooo...." She went limp, her head resting on his shoulder, a playful smile on her face as she looked up at him. "You gotta be careful next time you talk about your crushes. Apparently my go to reaction is to become an easily outraged older Southern woman."

"Which works," he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "since I've got that huge Oedipus complex and all— sounded a lot like my mother there, God rest her soul. Kinda turned me on a little there. No lie."

She lowers her own voice to a whisper. "And I want to adopt Jeff Goldblum. Not for anything weird, but I'd like to raise him as my own."

"I could see him as the weird uncle. Sitting there at family gatherings, telling the best stories to corrupt the kids." Ash nodded, reaching up to scratch his cheek, forgetting for a moment that he still had makeup on. When he lowered his hand, his fingertips were covered in white greasepaint. "Aw, shit. I forgot... I should go wash this off. Can't wear it to work. Might scare one of the Alzheimer's patients." While she'd dressed up as Lydia, he'd opted to do something unconventional— if he'd known, he'd have gone for Beetlejuice. Instead he'd just done white and black, reminiscent of Brandon Lee in The Crow. Now that his hair was growing out from the military brush cut he'd worn for the last five years, he almost looked the part.

"The look suits you. I never told you this, but Eric Draven is my crush. First time I saw The Crow, I was hooked." Her hand came up and messed with the wig she had on. "This thing is a biscuit to wear." The bobby pins were digging into her scalp and she finally relented, taking off the wig and wig cap. Her blonde hair fell down, resting on her shoulders. "Do you want me to make some real food? Pack you a lunch for work?"

"Not really hungry right now," Ash shrugged, lifting his clean hand to tug gently on a strand of her blonde hair. "I like your hair better like this. I mean, dressing up, pretending to be someone else is fun and all..." he trailed off, realizing he wasn't really sure where he was going with that comment. He'd wanted to compliment her but it had come out sounding so weird and awkward that he just stopped. "I'll go wash up. If you're hungry, go on and make something. Can always eat it later or take leftovers to work."

"Wait, before you do..." Placing a hand on either side of his face, not caring about the paint on his face, she kissed him. It had been a few days since they'd had their first and they'd shared more since. There was an urgency in it and she didn't want to.break it.

He didn't seem to want to either as he returned it, leaving a white hand-print on the shoulder of her poncho as he pulled her closer. When the kiss broke, he let out a low groan, "wish I didn't have to work tonight."

"There's still some time before you have to head in." She closed her for a brief moment, taking him and their situation in. "I know you probably need to sleep, though." She kissed him again, this time just as desperate as before. "And there's always when you get home from work." Her hands moved to his shoulders.

"I should sleep," he agreed, nodding. "At least a few hours before I go in. Not tired now, but I'm sure that's just all the candy I've been nibbling on." He kissed her, giving her bottom lip a little nip to let her know that he wasn't really talking about sweets. "Lemme wash this gunk off my face and..." he reluctantly pulled away, still talking as he got up off the couch and started across the room, "we'll go from there, okay?"

"Okay." She nodded and watched him disappear into the bathroom. An idea came to her that caused her to stand up and go into his bedroom. Thinking for a moment, she slid off the knee socks she'd been wearing and then her shorts. Tossing them into the corner, she got onto the bed and laid on her side. "Hey, come into the bedroom when you're done!"

Over the sound of the running water, she heard him call out an affirmation. It wasn't too long before Ash appeared in the doorway in the holey black tee and skinny black jeans he'd had on, face freshly scrubbed clean of the makeup even though he still had a little black liner beneath his eyes that hadn't come off. "I feel much better. That stuff was starting to itch something awful."

When Gretchen looked at him, her bottom lip protruded out and for a moment, he thought she was really disappointed to see him as himself again. That was, until she spoke. "Ash, a spooky ghost flew into the bedroom and stole my socks and then my shorts. It was so scary, I just don't want to be alone in case it comes back for my poncho."

"Wait..." Ash shook his head, trying to be serious in the face of this horrible catastrophe. "We spent all this time looking for spooks and then a ghost randomly shows up and absconds with your pants and socks while I'm conveniently out of the room?" He took a few steps closer to the bed, "what a jerk!"

"I know, right!?" Shaking her head, she lifted the poncho up and took it off. Underneath she had on a light blue bra and matching underwear. She threw the poncho across the room. "Oh my goodness, he did it again!"

"You come back here and face me like a..." he struggled to keep from laughing, "like a man-tom!" He shook his head sadly, pulling off his worn out tee and tossing it aside with a look of horror on his face. "OH SHIT! He's after me now!" Laughing like an idiot, he dove on the bed and grabbed Gretchen, "save me!"

She was laughing along with him as she got a good look at him. Her laughing trailed off as she studied him carefully. "I think that maybe we better surrender the rest of the clothes to the ghost."

"Think you're right," Ash nodded, "we don't want to piss him off— no vengeful spirits on Halloween. That's just all sorts of dangerous!" Still chuckling, he unbuttoned his jeans and stripped them off, flinging them across the room. "Begone, evil spirit!" He pulled off his socks and let them fly too, "take these socks as a peace offering... and... uh... leave us in peace!" Dressed in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs, Ash rolled over towards her. It wasn't the first time that he'd been shirtless in front of her. They'd gone swimming a thousand times when they were younger. It had been a really long time, though, and he didn't meet her eyes because he was suddenly self-conscious.

"Good evening, Sir." Gretchen smiled warmly at him before leaning in and kissing him softly. Pulling back, she laid so she was on her side, facing him. "Coming here to Mississippi is one of the best decisions I've made. Whatever happens between us— whether we just stay friends or there is more... I'm with you to the end, okay? What I'm getting at is that you aren't alone anymore." Usually there was silliness or a hint if it to what she said, but not this time. She was one hundred percent serious. She bit down on her lower lip, feeling and looking vulnerable. This was new to her as usually she had that wall of humor up to protect herself, this time, though, she couldn't. Not with him.

"Coming to Dallas... that was the best decision I've made in years." Ash's voice came out softer than a whisper, almost so low that she couldn't hear it. He lifted his gaze to meet hers, a hint of sadness on his face even though he managed a smile. "Not being alone sounds really good right about now..." he reached out and rested his hand on her side, "...especially since we have a kleptomaniac ghost on our hands."

Even though it was a silly joke, he looked pretty serious when he said it. He leaned in, kissing her gently, that hand sliding up over her ribs to rest just below the edge of her bra. "Don't have to be to work for another seven hours," he murmured against her lips after glancing at the clock on the bedside table. "Got time for me to show you how much I appreciate you being here."

His hand on her bare skin caused her skin to goosebumps as she nodded. "I think that would be an appropriate use of time." Her hand came up and slid down the strap of her bra. "Uh oh, the ghost is at it again. Now he's trying to steal my undergarments!" Leaning in, she kissed him, sliding her tongue in his mouth as her hands slid down toward the waistband of his boxers.

He shivered as her fingers ran over his washboard abs. It had been a really long time since someone had touched him like this. "Not gonna object if he makes off with that. Kinda..." he trailed off, shifting topic, "you want the lights on or off?"

"Honestly, your choice." Reaching behind her, she undid her bra and slid it down. "Thought I'd help out our neighborhood spooker." Tossing it to the floor, her hands went back to his boxers as she pressed herself against him.

"On. On is good." He wrapped his arms around her, looking deep into her eyes. "I wanna see you..." she was so beautiful but he couldn't bring himself to say the words aloud. If he opened that floodgate, he'd start making promises that would ruin everything good they had. His fingers grazed her spine as they slid down her back to the top of her panties and then under them, pushing them down as he cupped her bottom, pulling her against himself.

As she was held against him, Gretchen's lips kissed along his jawline and then were on his neck, trailing it with kisses. "Are you sure seven hours is going to give us enough time?" Her words came out breathy as she started to rub him through his boxers. Not waiting for him to answer, her lips were on his with desperation as she kissed him deeply.

"If I don't sleep..." he murmured when the kiss broke, "or shower. Maybe. I..." he pushed her panties down further, rolling her over onto her back, "I was gonna say I'll be quick." He propped himself up with one hand, the other trailing over her nude body, reveling in the feeling of bare skin before he got rid of her panties altogether. "But I don't know if I can."

Being completely naked in front of a guy would have caused her to cover up. With Ash though, she wanted his eyes on her, craved it even. "Take all the time you need. Don't have anywhere I need to be, except with you." She bit down on her lower lip as she worked on getting his boxers down.

"With me," he echoed that, letting out a sigh. "Like the sound of that," he breathed against her neck, kissing and nibbling even as his fingers trailed a little lower, drawing patterns around her belly button that made the goosebumps return.

Automatically, she tilted her head to the side, giving him better access to her neck. Once she had gotten his boxers down, she started stroking him. "You're kinda stuck with me now."

"Gonna haunt me 'til the day I die?" He laughed softly, letting out a little groan on the heels of that thanks to what she was doing. "You wanna know something? Think your touch is like truth serum. I can't..." Ash cleared his throat, moving his hand a little lower, "I don't wanna lie to you."

"Are you gonna divulge some huge secret?" As his hand went lower, a tiny moan escaped her lips. Leaning in, she kissed him softly, still touching him. "Was it you who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?"

"Hmmmm..." he slipped his fingers inside her, teasing, "only if that's what we're calling this. You want me to steal your cookies, Gretchen?" He whispered it in her ear but before she could answer, he added something else. "I've got a pretty big crush, too. On you."

Her eyes widened as his fingers went inside of her. She gasped unexpectedly as her free hand found his back. "First off... yay me... second.... I'm not gonna need seven hours." The tips of her fingers dug into his flesh. "Oh fuck, Ash."

"Me neither," he breathed, "God, Gretch... I gotta..." he shifted position, one hand against the headboard now as he let her guide him inside, still teasing her with his thumb. A groan escaped his lips as he slid in deep, having to pause for a moment just to pull himself back from the brink. He didn't want it over that quickly. There was a spark between them that was so damned hot that he couldn't stay still for long. "You... you're so beautiful," he closed his eyes, rocking his hips so that he almost pulled out again before driving back in deep.

Even though he was inside of her, she was desperate to be as close to him as she could. Her legs went around his waist as she lifted her upper half just enough for their lips to touch. Aggressively, she kissed him, her hands on his shoulders. She wasn't ready to succumb yet. She'd liked him for so long and now she had him. She broke the kiss, only to let out a moan. "Ash... I..." She couldn't finish what she wanted to say, instead she found his lips again and it was a good thing she did because he came dangerously close to finishing that sentence for her.

He was absolutely lost in the moment, in how great the last week had been since they'd reconnected and it wasn't just how great it felt to be inside her that had him so close to the edge— it was everything. He kept kissing her, making it deeper as he quickened his rhythm. The headboard was thumping against the wall now and he didn't care about getting his security deposit back if there was any damage. He wasn't even thinking about it as he felt her legs tighten around him, her hips rocking up to meet him as if she was just as eager as he was. He couldn't hold back, the hand he was using for balance on the mattress turning into a tight fist around the sheets as he broke the kiss only to pant her name. "Can't... God... I'm gonna come."

"I can't..." Even finish that sentence. She'd reached the edge a few moments before and still tried to delay it. When she knew he was letting go, she allowed herself to. What she had was the most intense orgasm of her life. Over the past week, Ash had gotten to know her all over again and he knew her better than anyone. He excited her in every single way and she was experiencing the proof. When she'd finished, she still held onto him as if her life depended on it.

Ash let out a long breath, burying his face in her hair to kiss her neck. "Holy shit," he whispered, "I think I owe that ghost... big time." Reluctantly, he shifted position and laid down beside her— his arm was shaking too much to support him now. "Seven hours isn't enough time," he whispered, kissing her shoulder as his free hand rested gently on her stomach.

"You don't think so?" She was panting some and it was mixed with a laugh. Turning her head, she looked at the face she was falling in love with. Resting a hand over his, she kissed his nose. "Are you suggesting that we may repeat this certain activity?" Her eyes went wide in mock shock. "Well I do declare!"

"Oh yes," he grinned, "think I might have to call out sick. I need to stay in bed tonight." He slid their hands up, cupping her breast with their fingers entwined, giving her nipple a little tweak. "I need more of this... more of you."

"You've got me, whenever and however you want me." She grinned at him and he could see the sparkle in her eyes. "Well if you're calling in sick, I suppose you are gonna need someone to take care of you." Turning onto her stomach, she pulled herself up so that they were eye to eye. "And I suppose that'll have to be this gal." She moved her lips to his neck and got to work nursing him to health.