Stacie glares at Ash, "I'm blaming you."
"Me?" Ash leans calmly against the wall and folds his arms, a smile tugging on his mouth which only serves to annoy her further, "You wanted to take the lift. I'm happy with the stairs."
She rolls her eyes, "You'd take the stairs to the tenth floor?"
"Fit as a butchers dog now I've given up smoking." Ash corners her and braces his arms either side of her, "I can prove it too."
"I'm not in the mood," she smiles nevertheless, "so wipe that silly grin off your face."
"You," he taps her arm, "are always in the mood. One of a million reasons why I love you."
Stacie looks speechless at him and then recovers herself, "You broke the lift and you're meant to be a fixer."
"Shoddy built innit?" He looks at the buttons, insulted by the vision of the lift control panel.
"So you pushing all the buttons had nothing to do with it?" It's Stacie's turn to lean against the wall.
"No, not at all," Ash stares at the floor.
"What about the emergency button?"
"Ah, funny story that..."
Stacie lets out a load groan, "We can rob a bank, the richest galleries but this...why didn't I take the stairs?"
"Your shoes," he reminds her as she paces the small space, "I've texted Mickey, he'll sort it out, when he gets the text, the signal isn't great."
"I'm going to die in a lift in shoes I can't even walk in." Stacie groans and slips to the floor. She supposes it could be worse, it has carpets. She has Ash.
Ash flops down next to her, "They're very nice shoes."
She kicks them off and wriggles her toes, sighs with the pleasure of feeling them again, "But nobody is going to see them."
"I have and I think they're lovely."
Stacie rests her head on his shoulder, "For once I actually wanted everyone to look."
"I'm looking," He turns her face to his, "I can never stop looking at you."
His hands caressed her dress and pulled her close and he made it all better, just as he always did.
Stacie didn't know how long they'd been stuck but from the look of the engineers face, he wasn't used to finding couples finding alternative entertainment whilst stuck in a lift. Calmly she took Ash's hand as he helped her up from the floor and adjusted the straps on her dress, smiled sweetly and stepped out.
"Floor 9," Ash pulled on his jacket and grabbed Stacie's hand, "Quick!"
"I'm late!"
"Fashionably so."
Laughing and breathless they ran through huge glass doors as the clock rang the hour peal.
"Cutting it a bit fine," Mickey observed as they ran to the front of the room.
"Stacie, where are your shoes?" Emma looks at her friend's bare feet.
"And your hair?" Carol looks at her and then giggles as Ash winks at Stacie.
"Who gives this woman to..."
Albert steps forward and takes Stacie's arm bringing order to the rabble, "I do."
Stacie beamed at Albert, listened to the registrar. Then she took Ash's hand in hers and promised to love him for better and worse.