* . I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF! I had the urge to continue on with The Pain of Saying Farewell since Ash held her stomach! I've been thinking about this story all night! It's rather short but I hope you enjoy another story with Ash. *
She sat in her quaint home in a practically nameless part of Northern Scotland. It was where he was born and raised so she thought it was only appropriate if she returned there after all the fighting was done. A dog tag resided around her neck and sit snugly on her breast. John MacTavish, engraved in the smooth metal of the tag. Stroking it between her thumb and forefinger became a habit that she knew she would never break in her lifetime.
A cool spring breeze slid into the room and kissed her cheeks almost on queue at that moment. She couldn't help but think it was him teasing her for being so sentimental. Her blue eyes looked up at the dozens of framed photos that adorned the sea-green walls and she smiled warmly. Memories of his life would eternally be sealed behind glass as well as in her heart.
She stood up and approached the first frame on the wall, the photo of him when he was recruited into the S.A.S. Even in pictures, his blue eyes sparkled with that mischievous tint they always bore. His arms were crossed over his broad chest as he stared into the lens and back at her with his usual smile on his face. She almost burst out laughing at the sight of him without his usual mohawk but he still looked as dashing as ever.
The next one was of a quartette of soldiers from the Task Force 141-him, Captain Price, her older brother Ghost, and herself. She stood in between him and her older brother, smiles all plastered on their faces except Ghost who wore his usual skeleton grin. Ghost's arm was wrapped tightly around Price's while her arm was linked through his.
But one picture reigned supreme over all the rest. On the mahogany end table, an intricate golden frame stood proudly with the contents rested inside the sturdy glass. She rested her fingertips over the precious memory as bittersweet feelings stirred inside of her. This photo was taken in private, not taken for some formality or for any specific reason.
Two pairs of ocean blue eyes were alive with love and joy as they looked into the camera that she had in her grip and extended out before them. Their cheeks were touching; you could practically feel the heat rushing from one face to another. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders and he was placing a gentle kiss on her cheek lovingly.
She practically remembered the flash blinding her momentarily as the camera captured this moment and imprisoned it in eternity. Tears pooled at the corner of her eyes as she lifted the frame off the table. It was so strange how one could be so alive in photos but then the next moment, they're gone. She placed a kiss gingerly on the photo and then held it closely to her beating heart.
"I love you so much John…always and forever." She whispered as she reminisced in her memories of him that danced around in her mind. A light knocking at the front door snapped her out of thoughts and placed her back in her lonely home. Who could that be, she thought to herself as she placed the frame back in its rightful spot and headed towards her unknown visitor. The tapping at the door persisted and she was beginning to loose her patience; she always was a bit short tempered.
"I'm coming," she called, "persistent bugger…" she mumbled under her breath. She placed her hand on the cool brass knob and pulled it opened, welcoming her surprise guest. A broad smile played across her face as her eyes met with those of her guests.
"Hello…Ashlotte." Price said with his usual weathered voice. His hair was combed and slicked back and he wore a casual suit to show his respect for visiting a woman. He held a bouquet of orange lilies in his arms; their sweet scent penetrating the air and their orange petals lit a fire in the ocean of Ashlotte's eyes.
"Always so chivalrous, aren't you Price?" Ashlotte chided as she led him inside her abode. Price placed the beautiful blossoms on Ash's coffee table and planted a kiss on her cheek while she plucked one from the bunch and braided it into her hair. The fiery orange petals looked like embers in her sooty black locks. Price sighed as he laid back on the couch, letting a tired grunt escape his lips.
"How have you been Price?" Ash asked as she placed the lilies in a vase filled with fresh water to rest on the sunny windowsill.
"The usual…it's been a few months since the war ended and they're still interviewing me. I'd rather not get into it; maybe I should go into hiding like you." He said tiredly while Ash giggled lightly.
"It'll die down eventually. Like you once said, a bigger explosion will go off one day and that'll snuff this flame." She said lightly as she leaned against the wall.
"True…" Price sighed as he sat up on the couch, running his hands through his thinning brown hair.
"So what are the flowers for? If you buy me flowers, all your fans will be breaking down my door." Ash said with a cheeky smirk. Price chuckled heartily as he motioned to Ash's bulging stomach.
"For the baby's room; thought it could use some brightening up." He smiled. Ash returned the smile and rubbed her stomach in a nurturing way. She could feel the life of her child stir inside of her.
"You hear that babies? Grandpa Price bought you some flowers." She said in a motherly tone. Price raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"Babies? Did you say, babies?" He asked quizzically. Ash continued to rub her stomach and her face lit up.
"You heard me correctly," she began, "Ms. Riley is having twins, a boy and a girl to be exact." She said proudly at the fact that not one, but two new lives were developing inside of her. Price chuckled once more as he stood up and stretched, animating his dormant muscles.
"Couldn't bear the suspense of waiting?" She grinned and placed a hand to her delicate cheek.
"John wouldn't have wanted it to be a surprise…" She said fondly, taking another quick glance at her most treasured photo. Price smiled sadly and followed Ash's line of sight to the golden frame.
"Soap…he would have been a great father…" Price said warmly, a hint of sadness trailing on his sentence.
"Yes…I know," was all Ash could muster to say. Ash recalled John's last words he sweetly cooed to her; how he said he would be with her sooner then she knew it. Now she understood what he had meant. He had left this Earth and left her with the last bit of life he could, so he would always be alive to her. He had left her with a son and a daughter.
Ash held her stomach with one and John's dog tags with the other, kissing the cool metal. "I know…" Ash repeated. A few tears fell from her cheeks and onto John's tags, where they glimmered in the afternoon sun. John had left the world physically, but he was still alive to people like Price and herself.
Ash would tell the tale of his bravery to his children, and they would tell it to their children someday as well. And when her children asked what their father was like, Ash would giggle and say, "A cheeky but brave muppet."