A/N: Sorry Torence, but you're kinda shoved out for this chapter. All for a good cause and a plot to strike up soon though! El oh el. I love the fluff at the end! Tis so cute. ^^ Anyways, enjoy & review [plz].

Chapter Four

Ashley opened the bathroom door and walked out, wearing only a towel. "Tori, where the hell are my…" She stopped mid-sentence when she saw Hallam frozen, staring at her. "Clothes…" She gripped the top of the towel and looked around. "Where's Tori?" Hallam put the cup he had in his hand down and pointed to Tori's room without sound, eyes still on Ashley. She felt a blush creep across her face as she turned and went over to Tori's door. Ashley slowly opened the door and found Tori, already in bed and sleeping. "Damn you…" she mumbled as she returned to the living room, shutting the door behind her silently. She saw Hallam's eyes set on her once more. "Uh, yeah. I'll be right back." She shuffled into her room and picked her bag up off the floor by the door. Ashley threw the bag onto the bed and dug through, looking for a set of pajamas to wear. To her avail, she found none. "I came all this way without a set of pajamas? Stupid, stupid, stupid…" She finally gave in and threw on a set of undergarments with a green striped tank top and grey jogging pants. Ashley turned to go out the door and saw Hallam leaning on the doorframe. "Can I help you?" she asked with heavy eyes.

Hallam had the same look on his face. He looked tired and slightly nervous. "I was uh, wonderin' where you want me to sleep."

Ashley shrugged. "Where you wanna sleep?" She crossed her arms and walked back to her bed, sitting on the edge.

"Is this your room?" he asked.

Ashley nodded. "You want to sleep with me?" she asked. His expression dropped and went blank. "I'll take that as a yes. It's alright," Ashley said as she walked towards him, "you're cute." She grinned and walked into the living room, making her way to the door. She locked it, turned off the light, and went over to the kitchen. Ashley moved to the fridge, studying what was in it. Not very much, as they just moved in, but she saw one of Tori's numerous Ramune sodas. Picking one out off the white racks inside, she turned and set it on the counter. When she turned, she saw Hallam watching her curiously. Ashley pulled the plastic off and pushed down, opening the drink. She threw the trash away in the trash can nearby before hoisting herself onto the counter carefully. "What?" she finally asked him.

Hallam smiled as he leaned against the wall by her bedroom door. "Nothin'. It's just," he paused, licking his lips. "I was thinkin' the same about you." His voice trailed off and he shot her an innocent look. His face also seemed to have a hint of blush forming.

Ashley smiled as she took a sip of the clear bubbly soda. She sat the bottle at her side. "That's sweet. But I'm thinking it's the alcohol talking." She narrowed her eyes a bit at him and shook her head as she looked at her feet, which she was swinging slowly.

Hallam pushed off the wall and walked over next to her. "No really. You are," he said. "An' it-it's not the alcohol talking."

Ashley scrunched up her nose as she took another sip of her drink. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hallam looking at her with a slightly sad expression. "Sorry," she giggled. "It's strong. Want some?" she held the bottle to him, offering him a drink.

He shrugged. "Sure." Hallam took it from her and took a swig. He coughed a bit. "What is this?"

"Ramune soda. A Japanese thing."

"Tastes funny. Almost like a fizzy alcohol."

Ashley laughed, "I said the same thing to Tori and she didn't believe me!" She shook her head. "Told her so," she said off to the side darkly. "Once you have it a few times, you'll like it. Although it's packed with sugar, which makes you extremely hyper." Her eyes went wide as she spoke about the affects of the drink. She took it back from him and chugged down the rest of it. Ashley sighed as she looked at the empty bottle. "Well, I'm ready for bed now. I prolly won't sleep much but hey, it's worth it," she shrugged. Ashley threw the bottle in the trash as she hopped down from the counter. The glass clinked and it sounded as if it broke on impact as she made her way over to the door. "You coming?" she asked as she spun around once in the doorway.

Hallam nodded with a small smile. "Though I'm not entirely tired yet," he told her as he walked into the room. Ashley leaped onto the bed and crawled under the blankets. She poked her head out the opposite end. Hallam laughed and walked to the end of the bed. "Not only are yeh cute, you're funny too," he said with a chuckle.

Ashley poked her head farther out from under the blankets and looked up at him. "Thank you Hallam. The face you made while drinking the Ramune was funny too." She sat up and wrapped the ends of the blanket around herself. Hallam leaned down, his hands on the footboard of the bed, and he kissed her directly on the lips. Ashley was shocked at this, pulling back seconds after. His face seemed to have a pleading look and was unfazed by her shocked expression.

After a minute or two of just looking at each other, she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "Sorry, sorry. I just uh, wasn't expecting that," Ashley said grinning with a stupid look upon her face.

Hallam stood up straight. "It's fine. I wasn't either."

Ashley let out a breath of relief. "Right." She got to her knees and kissed him back. "C'mon then," she said releasing the end of the blanket, before making her way to the other end of the bed.

Hallam walked around the left side of the bed and slipped in next to her. Hesitantly, he put his arms around her. She patted his arm as she gave him a smile. "Tired yet?" he yawned.

She shook her head with a grin. "You?" He also shook his head. She rolled under his arms to face him and ruffled his hair. "Even your hair's cute," she beamed. Hallam kissed her forehead as a gesture of thanks and pulled her close to him, hugging her. Ashley snuggled against his chest and shut her eyes, waiting for sleep to reach her.