Without Me

Last Hope

And the salt in my wounds isn't burning anymore than it used to.
It's not that I don't feel the pain it's just I'm not afraid of hurting anymore.

The words on the page caught Marshall's attention, he felt as if Ashley was opening up through what she had written. He knew he shouldn't have ever picked up her notebook, let along flick through it slow enough for him to scan over everything she had written; he knew for a fact it was something she'd never done to him. If he'd ever wanted her to read any of his lyrics he'd ask her; she'd never nosed through them herself.

Sighing, he shut the notebook, placing it carefully back down on the small table it had been left on when he'd entered the studio. The moment he'd set it down, and leant back in his chair the door opened, revealing Ashley walking in, looking in his opinion too exhausted for it only being the start of the day. Her lack of greeting him with a 'good morning,' or even a 'hello,' told him that her day hadn't started according to plan. He stood up from his chair hoping to change that, firstly by helping her take her coat off since only Ashley was able to get both arms stuck when trying to pull it off until she'd eventually given up letting the sleeves flap about at her sides.

''How old are you?'' He joked gently pulling the coat over her arms, before then tossing it over the nearest chair.

However, she didn't respond to his joke in words, she only huffed and exhaled deeply as she flopped down onto the sofa, hair falling down into her face, which she didn't even lift a finger to correct. Marshall frowned, how was he supposed to know what was wrong if she wasn't going to say anything.

''Ash what's wrong?'' He sat down next to her, relieved that she didn't shift away from him, nor did she flinch when he brushed her hair out of her face for her.

''Alonzo came to the house this morning, giving me this,'' she pulled a crumpled envelope out of her back pocket handing it over to him.

The first thing Marshall noticed was that it remained unopened. Gingerly, he took the envelope out of her hand, flipping it over to see not one, but two names handwritten in black ink on the other side:
Ashley+Marshall.

''He said we should open it together, and that we should give him an answer in a reply,'' she explained, looking over at Marshall, his expression, however, was unreadable.

''What do you wanna do?'' He asked.

''I don't wanna read it,'' she confessed, moving her head down and to the side to look away from both Marshall and the envelope in his hand.

''Then we ain't gonna read it,'' Ashley snapped her head around to look at him as he moved away from her towards her notebook stuffing the letter between two random pages, ''it's probably some lame ass apology, just forget about it,'' he added sitting back down next to her, his body tilting towards her.

''But he's expecting a reply and why'd he write your name on it. I know it might be because of what I said, but if he was going to apologise wouldn't he have...''

''Ash stop overthinking shit,'' Marshall cut her off, but she continued to ramble.

''If it was an apology, shouldn't he also be apologizing to Jamie because if so, shouldn't his name also...Oh,'' His lips cut her off this time, silencing her form her seemingly never-ending overthinking ramble, '' did you just kiss me to get me to shut up?''

''Yes and I'll do it again if you continue,'' he replied cocking his eyebrow up at her, daring her to continue.

''Well maybe I will,'' she giggled as he captured her lips once more. His hands inching towards her waist, pulling her closer to him. She reacted accordingly by locking her arms around his neck. The both of them completely forgetting where they were.

''Da fuck is going on in here!'' The voice made Ashley and Marshall immediately jump away from each other. Her face truing red with embarrassment, she felt like a teenager again, being told off for sneaking out to visit a boyfriend, her parents didn't approve of. Although when she thought about, it the people she snuck off to see were normally Marshall and the rest of the guys.

''Well Paul you see,'' however, Marshall was unable to finish as Denaun walked into the room.

''I see you two are getting on good again,'' he noticed, unaware of what had been happing just seconds before.

'' They're getting on a bit more than good I'd say,'' Paul bit out his arms folded, glaring over at the too, ''what happened to Alonzo?''

''He sort of threw a picture frame at me,'' Ashley replied shrugging.

''You reported it right because that's domestic abuse Ash,'' Paul pointed out.

''Is it?''

''Seriously you're questioning it. He threw a fucking glass picture frame at you, which left you with cuts everywhere,'' Marshall exclaimed, causing her to jump at the sudden loudness of his voice.

''You were injured where?'' Paul asked, scanning over her, but so no sign of any cuts.

''Face, I covered it with makeup. As well as my arms, which you can't see as they're covered by my sleeves,'' she explained seeing Paul's eyes narrow.

''That's it if you haven't reported it I am,'' before Ashley could even protest he'd left the room.

She sighed leaning into Marshall who wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head in the process. He was glad Paul was going to do something because he knew Damn well that Ashley wouldn't have said anything and she would have just let it become what it was, eventually forgetting it ever happened.

''It's going to be all over the media in an hour and the Met's on Monday,'' she whined, closing her eyes as if mentally preparing herself for what was to come.

''I know,'' was all Marshall could say, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

***

Later that evening

Ashley Jackson seeks Lawsuit against Alonzo Riva on grounds of Domestic Abuse.

''I'ma strangle Paul,'' Ashley ground out as she started at the Tv in Marshall's living room, while tucked neatly under his arm.

''Should say Paul Rosenburg seeks Lawsuit because he was the one that did it not you,'' Marshall pointed out, his thumb tracing soothing circles across her shoulder; running across the tattoo that remembered both Arthur and Proof.

''Monday's gonna be such a fucking nightmare,'' she breathed out. She could already hear the questions the media were going to ask her as she walked down the red carpet. Part of her was actually considering asking if she could bypass the carpet altogether. The only problem being that she was expected to be there.

''Just tell em to fuck off like you normally do,'' Ashley laughed, before then squealing as he pulled her over him so she stardled his lap. He had also somehow managed to turn the Tv off, making Ashley feel as if he had more than one pair of hands hidden away somewhere.

''Watcha doing?'' Ashley asked, glancing down at him.

''Finishing what Paul rudely interrupted,'' he commented pulling her face down to meet his, ''without any distractions,'' he added, his lips brushing teasingly against her own.

''Just Kiss me,'' Ashley demanded, and he did.