Notes: Do I really have to say it?

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The mottled brush paused over the canvas as it's owner glanced around the easel at the model, who was vainly fluffing her hair. "Stop moving, darling, will you?"

"Sorry, handsome, but I've just been lying here for so long."

"Only a bit longer." The brush swiped across the canvas. "Move your hand just so." He demonstrated, and she obeyed with a yawn. "Perfect." Another stroke of paint was added.

He recoated the brush and was about to begin again when he heard the front door open. With a soft growl, he turned. "Damnit, Nick, what have I told you about interrupting my work?"

A blonde head appeared around the corner, followed by another one. "I really don't know," commented the first blonde. "But those are certainly not real."

The other giggled. "Ashley!" she scolded.

"What?" Ashley asked innocently, striding into the room. She approached the model. "Out."

"What?" asked the girl, Leah, and the painter.

Ashley turned. "Honestly, Ed. You can do better than that, right Leah?"

"Right," chimed in the second blonde, throwing a blanket to the less-than-modest woman stretched across the coach. "Here. You look cold."

The model stared at the two blonde girls, obviously unimpressed with their intrusion. She tossed the blanket aside and stood, moving the tiny black kitten from it's place on her shoulder.

"Ed," she started warningly.

Ed held up both his hand, paint splattering from the brush in the process and raining across Ashley's jeans.

"I'll get them out, darling, honest I will."

Ashley's raised eyebrow did nothing to faze the model or Ed as she wiped at the paint on her leg. Leah snickered behind her hand and Ed turned to her with the sound, the brush swinging and splattering paint across her face.

She looked absolutely shocked for a moment before both Ashley and the model began to howl with laughter.

"This is not funny!" Leah cried, running down the hall, in hopes that she would find a bathroom.

Ed watched her go, then turned to Ashley. "Don't get me wrong, I don't mind when two extremely pretty girls find their way into my studio, but who are you?"

Ashley grinned. "I'm Ashley and the girl who just ran down the hall was Leah."

Ed nodded. "Right, I got that. But where did you come from?"

"Ed," the model said again, standing up and reaching for her clothes.

"No, don't leave," Ed cried, scrambling toward her.

"That's a relatively vague question," Ashley began seriously. "I could tell you that I came from my mother, or that I just came from outside in the hall. Or I could tell you that Leah and I were born on an alien ship and were designed specifically to harass and seduce all Alan Rickman characters."

Leah snorted, coming back into the living room with a towel. "And he'd certainly believe that."

Ed looked confused but very cute in his painter's outfit. His bare chest peeked out from under his paint-spattered jean jacket. A smile turned up Ashley's lips as she handed the model her shirt. Ed attempted to snatch it away, but Ashley caught him by the arm. "It is indeed an interesting question. Where do any of us come from? By now we know that the whole stork story is radically unsound, at least, most sane adults know that. I don't know about her, though."

She tilted her chin towards the now-dressed model, who Leah was ushering outside with a bit more force than necessary. Ashley kept a firm hand on his wrist.

Ed cringed as the door slammed shut, and moments later Leah reappeared, smiling. She obviously didn't know that she still had a wide streak of green across her forehead.

Of course, Ashley was not about to tell her. Instead, she surveyed the unfinished painting, stroking her chin meditatively. "Very nice... however, the subject is quite... unappealing."

From the raise of his eyebrow, Ashley could tell that he had not found her unappealing in the least. "I mean, come on, Ed, how many naked portraits can one person stand?"

"Don't answer that," said Leah, catching the look on his face.

"You have paint," Ed started suddenly, seeing Leah standing near the portrait.

She frowned and stuck her tongue out at Ashley before realizing that Ed had crossed the room and was smoothing his thumb across her forehead to remove the green streak.

"Hey . . . I have paint on me too," Ashley cried.

Leah glanced over Ed's shoulder and stuck her tongue out again.

He dipped his finger into a glass of water near his easel and lightly dabbed it onto Leah's forehead, wiping it dry a moment later.

"Gone," he said, smiling at her.

"Thanks," she murmured, staring up at him dreamily. "I think I'm gonna faint."

Ed frowned. "Huh?"

"See, she's a big baby," Ashley said. "Can't even handle a simple touch like that."

Leah's eyes widened. "He hasn't touched you at all. His touch is like, a thousand times better than Snape or the Sheriff."

Ashley looked shocked. "What? Better than Snape . . . I don't know . . ."

"There's a difference with him," Leah said. "He doesn't mind that we're here."

"Actually," Ed began, "I didn't really appreciate you kicking out my model."

"Oh, get over it," Leah said, then turned back to Ashley. "This is going to be so easy."

Ashley grinned. "Like the others weren't?"

Ed looked confused and he moved over to the couch where the black kitten was still playing. The loud parrot above him squawked and said, "Lookey here Ed . . . pretty girls. Pretty girls."

"Yes," crooned Ed to the bird, half out of habit of talking to the thing and half agreeing with the squawking creature.

Ashley had noticed the kitten for seemingly the first time. Her eyes widened and she backed away. Ed noticed this. "Something wrong, uh... Ashley?"

"Cat," was all she said.

Leah's eyes glinted wickedly, and she picked up the black ball of fluff and approached Ashley.

"What, don't you like the cat, Ash?" She received a cold glare, but was undaunted. She held up the cat to her friend. "Don't you want to pet it?"

"No, thank you," said the girl in a hiss, edging away along the wall.

"Why not?" Leah was the picture of innocence, except for the sparkle in her eyes.

"You know why." She brushed at her nose in anticipation of potential sneezes. This was so unfair.

"Allergic?" drawled Ed. Ashley nodded vigorously, her eyes locked on the kitten as if it would attack. "Oh, don't worry, I keep her clean. A lot of my models are allergic, so I have to."

Slowly, a smile spread across the girl's face. "Foiled your little plan, didn't it, Leah dear?"

Leah dropped the kitten, looking disappointed that she wouldn't be running Ashley from the room. Ed *was* in her harem after all... she should get more time with him.

The little black ball of fur went scrambling from the room and raced down the hall, disappearing into a room. Leah smiled slightly at it. "She's cute," she said.

"Not as cute as Ed," Ashley said slyly.

Leah rolled her eyes. "How can you possibly compare a cat to Ed? Number one, he's human, she's not. Number two, they're cute in such different ways. The cat is cuddly cute ... okay, maybe not for you, but for me. Ed is ... okay, he's also cuddly cute but in that 'wow, you're a great kisser' way."

Ed coughed into his hand, suddenly very intrigued by the two girls who had suddenly appeared in the apartment.

"Great kisser?" he asked, getting up off the couch and walking over. "Wait a second, this is New York . . . 1989 ... how old are you?"

Leah grinned. "Eighteen."

Ashley glared at her and said, "Seventeen."

He shrugged. "Well, at least you're not jail bait."

Leah screwed up her face in disgust. "That is such a horrible term."

Ed shrugged. "I was worried. You never know how old someone is in New York." He paused. "So what was that talk about great kisser?"

Leah instantly lit up. "Well, Ashley and I are here to settle a bet."

"What kind of bet?" Ed asked.

"I think you're probably a better kisser than Snape," Leah said. "But Ashley thinks Snape is way better."

Ed frowned. "I don't know who this Snape is, but I can't let him win this bet." He paused again. "What did you bet?"

Ashley shrugged. "Nothin'," she said innocently.

Ed frowned. "What'd you bet?" he repeated.

"Twenty dollars," Leah said quickly. "We bet twenty dollars."

Now that she was here, Ashley was pretty certain she was going to lose the bet. But oh, would it be worth it.

"And this is your idea of... fun?" He ran a hand through his unruly hair, glancing back and forth between the two.

Leah shrugged. "Of course! What's wrong with it? Both sides end up happy."

A smile tugged at his lips. "I'm sure they do. Now," he pressed his palms together, "which of you two ladies are going to attempt to settle this bet first?"

"I will!" volunteered Ashley brightly, nearly skipping forward, but managing to control herself into a semi-fast saunter. Sexy, Ashley, very sexy. She rolled her eyes.

Glancing up at the painter, she smiled coyly. "Ready to prove me wrong?"

"But of course, darling." Eagerly, he wrapped his hands about her waist, drawing her closer in a way that nearly took her breath away. He bent slightly to brush his lips against hers. His tongue pressed against her lips, parting them effortlessly.

She answered with a timid intensity that was fast losing its control of her. Her hands slid up his stomach, under his jacket to the bare skin beneath, lightly pressing her nails into his chest.

He moaned softly, biting gently at her lower lip in rough playfulness before claiming her mouth once again.

When the kiss ended, it was all Ashley could do to make it to the couch without collapsing bonelessly to the floor. He cocked an eyebrow at her before glancing slyly at Leah, who was bouncing up and down on her toes. "Next?"

Leah grinned, one corner of her mouth turning up more than the other. If she had known he would have been so willing, Ed would have definitely been their first victim . . . err . . . plaything. She brushed her hair off her face, then slowly walked toward him, pushing him toward the chair that was placed near the apartment window. The window that let in that infamous light.

Ed willingly sunk into the chair, grabbing Leah's waist as he went and pulling her with him. She squeezed his sides gently with her legs, then bent down to place a soft kiss just above the top button of his shirt. She dragged her lips up his throat, over his Adam's Apple to the place behind his ear. A shiver ran through Ed and he growled playfully.

"Someone thinks they can out-tease me," he said huskily in her ear.

Leah grinned. "Someone does," she agreed.

"Lord you girls are cocky," he whispered.

Leah's grin spread wider. "We definitely are."

Ed's mouth went suddenly to her collarbone, leaving a trail of kisses along her throat. His tongue drew a wet line up to her ear where his teeth gently pulled at her earlobe. A moment later, his lips found her and softly, he kissed her.

Leah's hands pressed against his chest and she kissed him gently, not wanting to pick up the pace of the perfect kiss he had started. She broke apart from him a few moments later, breathless from the slow, soft kiss they had shared.

Ashley stared, impressed, from the couch, fanning herself with one hand. The two looked over at her, waiting for her verdict. She smiled coyly. "Well, I, for one, need a bit more convincing before I'm giving up my twenty dollars."

Ed smiled again at the challenge, pressing a quick kiss against Leah's lips. "Mind languishing for a moment while I prove your friend horribly wrong?"

Though she did mind, Leah obliged him and stood for a moment as Ed crossed the distance to the couch. He sunk down next to Ashley, taking her by the shoulders and lowering her back against the cushions, his body pressed lightly atop hers. Their hands tangled in each others hair, stroking and playing with the strands.

He pressed gentle but firm kisses to her temples, outlining her face in the smooth caresses. He kissed the crease between her chin and lips, tantalizingly close. "Convinced yet?"

She ran her hands down to his chest again, slipping under the jacket and edging it off his shoulders. "You're gonna have to do... better than that..." she managed breathlessly.

He shrugged off the jacket, revealing his paint-flecked skin for her approval. Her hands fluttered to his neck, bringing him closer. He didn't resist, but gave in to her, kissing her deeply and tenderly, surrounding her body with warmth.

She could hardly form a coherent thought with him like this, but one thing did come to mind. This was better than Snape and the Sheriff put together...

Leah grinned and cleared her throat, crossing her legs and leaning back in the chair. Ed cracked one eyelid at the sound, caught a glimpse of her position and sat up. Leah was suddenly happy that she had decided to wear a skirt that day. She grinned and turned, stretching her legs out in front of her. Ed's eyes widened further and he stood up and walked back over to the chair and knelt before Leah.

"Goddesses," he breathed, glancing back at Ashley, then turning to look at Leah. "That's what you are."

Leah smiled. "Thanks. That's sweet."

He took both her hands in his and kissed them, staring up at her the entire time. He turned her arm over and kissed the crook of her elbow, then leaned forward and place another kiss on her throat.

"I like this," Leah said to Ashley. "We hardly have to do any work."

Ed leaned over Leah and swept her out of the chair. She giggled at the unexpected movement and clung to his neck, then grinned and ran one of her hands down his chest. He took her over to the couch and deposited her beside Ashley.

"Less running around," he explained, then leaned forward and caught Leah's mouth in an unexpected kiss.

Her hands fluttered against the bare skin of his chest before coming to rest there, gently tracing the outline of muscle under his skin.

Ed's hands came up, running through Leah's hair before grasping her waist to pull her close. He collapsed onto the couch, pulling her on top of him, his lips still on hers, still passionately kissing her face and her throat.

Ashley raised an eyebrow at the pair. Lord.

With a soft smile, she reached out a hand to trail lightly across the muscles in his arms. She moved her hand up and down his upper arm. Her touch was light and in normal circumstances would have been innocent. But these were no normal circumstances, and the scrape of her fingertips lit him on fire.

He moaned against Leah's throat, his eyes darting over to meet Ashley's. She waggled her eyebrows cutely, letting her hand slip down his side to hook her fingers in his belt loop, tracing her thumb along the top of his jeans.

He reached for her, catching her by the arm and pulling her into a kiss. His other hand was still entwined in Leah's hair, caressing her scalp as she administered kisses to his smooth, broad chest.

Ashley pressed her mouth to his, their tongues engaged in a fiery duel for dominance. Her kiss was so deep that he was forced to tilt his head back slightly to properly take it in.

"Lord," he murmured, his fingers rubbing insistently on the base of her neck, drawing her even closer to him.

Her hands played across his beard, stroking the short hairs and dancing their way back up into his hair.

She pulled back slightly, breathless. "Are you glad we kicked out your little model now, Ed dahling?"

He nodded, unable to think of anything to say to the two girls. He didn't know where they had come from, but he honestly didn't care. His eyes were still locked with Ashley's when he finally noticed Leah's finger trailing gently along the waist of his jeans. His breath caught in his throat and she grinned up at him before standing and pushing him backward.

Ed willing stood with her, following her across the room.

"It's a shame to waste this light," Leah murmured, pushing Ed up against the wall where a square of light fell. He smiled and pulled her close, then grabbed her shoulders and switched their positions so that Leah was now standing against the wall.

She raised an eyebrow at him just as his hands grabbed her waist and lifted her slightly so that she was staring him in the eye. Her arms slid around his neck, holding herself up against him and her legs slowly wrapped around his waist.

"Perfect," Ed murmured, bending down to press a gentle kiss on her forehead. His lips travelled down her face until they found her mouth once more. Leah let herself be lost in the kiss, the feeling of his lips and his tongue pushing against her.

The sound of an opening door interrupted them a moment later and Leah's eyes cracked open to see Nick Starkey standing in the doorway of his apartment.

Nick took in the breathless girl on his couch and the girl that had her legs wrapped around Ed's waist and shook his head.

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End Part 1