"So you finally decided to get a hobby and take up painting?" Chunk asked Bull with a grin as he poured a cup of coffee in the office kitchen. The psychologist was already on his second cup and working his way through a donut leftover from the previous morning.

"I take it you ran into Ashton this morning," Bull answered good-naturedly. He was entirely unshaken by the stylist's comment.

"At the elevator. It's none of my business but if you want to impress her, a date at the office probably isn't a good idea," Chuck told Bull before taking a sip of coffee.

"I think I'm long past the impressing her stage," Bull replied.

"Hanging out here won't help you get her back either, especially if it's what drove you apart in the first place," Chunk tried to reason.

"Ashton helped me find this place. She was at the meeting when I signed the lease," Bull replied quickly.

"That doesn't mean she wants to hang out here with you. It's work. Your work," Chunk said stressing the last words to convey what he was trying to get across.

"I had some reading to catch up on and sitting here with me was better for her than being home alone," the psychologist said in explanation.

"Are you sure about that?" Chunk asked intensely with narrowed eyes. His own contradictory feelings about Bull's reply was clearly evident in his voice.

"I am," Bull stated with absolute certainty.

"What if she felt differently? Did you even ask her? Making assumptions is never a good thing," the stylist replied.

"Ash knows being here was better for her, too," Bull assured him with a nod.

Chunk looked at the psychologist dubiously but decided not to say a word in disagreement. He then walked away shaking his head.

"You're here early," Ashton said as Bull walked into the apartment. "I didn't expect to hear from you for hours…if at all."

"I thought I'd see if I can still surprise you," Bull said and then leaned in to kiss her. Even if he wouldn't admit it to Chunk, Bull knew he left Ashton little choice in the matter of staying at TAC for the night. Leaving the office at a decent hour was his way of making it up to her.

"You can," Ashton replied breathlessly as she looked up at him.

"You cooked dinner," he said suddenly as the aroma of cooking food wafted from the kitchen. Bull inhaled deeply and tried to pinpoint exactly what she had made.

"I make dinner…quite often, in fact. I didn't stop eating when you left," she responded. The serious tone of her voice was offset by the smile that played around her mouth.

"I didn't think you had, but you haven't made dinner for me in a while," Bull told her. Dinner consisted of penne in a homemade vodka sauce with crumbled sausage. Ashton had also tossed together a quick salad and opened a bottle of red wine. She planned on having a nice meal even if Bull worked all night at the office and didn't stop by.

They decided to forego the salad and instead filled bowls with pasta, poured glasses of wine, and move to the couch in front of the television to eat and watch the game. As he navigated his way through the living room area balancing a bowl of pasta in each hand, Bull noticed that the thank you note he had given her was sitting on a corner of Ashton's desk still unopened.

"This is amazing," Bull said after taking a bite deciding to not ask about the note.

"I don't cook much but what I do make is outstanding," she laughed in agreement and took a sip of wine.

"I've missed your vodka sauce," he told her earnestly.

"You're just full of surprises tonight. I'm glad you like it," Ashton answered and speared a single penne with her fork from his bowl.

"Heard you saw Chunk when you were leaving this morning," Bull said turning the conversation in a different direction. "He was concerned that I forced you into staying at TAC last night."

"You didn't really leave me a choice in the matter," she reminded him. "You really rub off on people, Doc; I never knew so much could be learned from a simple good morning."

"It can't. He inferred a lot from the time of the day," he told her and then countered, "You used to drop by the office and stay on occasion."

"I did what I had to do to see you and spend some time with you. Would I have preferred it to be anywhere else other than your office? Um…yeah. But again, I wasn't given a choice in the matter," Ashton stated.

"I was trying to build a company, Ash," Bull said.

"Before this turns into the same argument we've had much too often, I know that. I also I have a good idea of what you were thinking when you brought me with you last night," Ashton said calmly.

"Good," he answered with more force than she expected. Ashton was used to Bull being Bull and his tendency to speak without first considering how his words sounded to others, so she did her best to ignore the tone to his reply.

"You could've just said so, I probably wouldn't have given you much of an argument," she told him while looking at the television. A few seconds later, Ashton turned and gave him an indulgent smile and slightly shook her head.

"Jason, I would've told you about Matty along with everything else. You know that," she added.

"Benny said you were so upset that you weren't yourself and were extremely quiet on the ride home," Bull explained.

"Most people would tell you I'm extremely quiet any day under normal circumstances," she replied and placed her bowl on the coffee table.

"This was Benny saying it, not some passing acquaintance," he said.

"The party and Matt weren't the only thing on my mind," Ashton told him quietly. "There was the meeting with my dad's lawyer. I needed time to work through things on my own for a bit."

"How long was I supposed to wait?" he inquired with raised eyebrows.

"You heard from me from the time I got home and walked in the door," she stated.

"How long was I supposed to wait for something more than a three word text reply?" Bull asked again, this time more specific in his question. It was his turn to give her an indulgent smile; he was used to Ashton being Ashton.

"I do know how busy you are," Ashton informed him and returned the smile. "My inner turmoil over whether I'm neglecting my family duties didn't seem like it warranted your immediate attention."

"I think I would be a better judge of that," he responded arrogantly.

Ashton pursed her lips and thought for a moment; then she shrugged. "It all worked out. You got what you wanted and I got cardamom cookies."

"Ashton," he said slowly with a stern look in her direction.

"They were good cookies. Can we watch the game now?" Ashton requested as she stood up and walked to the kitchen with the empty dishes.

She returned with the open bottle of wine and refilled both their glasses before sitting down next to Bull. As Ashton leaned back against the cushions, he slid an arm around her shoulders. She didn't say a word but edged in closer as her eyes remained focused on the television.

It was near the end of the game when Ashton finally spoke again, "You should really think about leaving some clothes here."

"I wasn't sure if I'd be staying," Bull replied.

"It's getting late. I'd feel better if you'd stay here," she told him with a wink, telling him the same thing he said to her the previous night. "Of course, if you'd rather go back to the office and read."

"Maybe I planned on going back to my place and not TAC," he asserted with a fixed stare and serious expression.

"Mm-hmmm," Ashton mused doubtfully as the makeshift closet at the TAC office flashed in her mind. She guided his mouth to hers and slowly kissed him. "Stay or go; it's your choice."

"I know I pushed you the other night," Bull said to Ashton the next morning and handed her a steaming mug of tea as she entered the kitchen in her bathrobe. She had let him use the shower first and Bull was now fully dressed in the clothes he wore the previous night as he stood eating half a bagel.

"Apologies aren't your style, Doc," she told him after getting over the initial surprise of what he had said. Bull even coming close to admitting he was wrong or made a mistake was highly unusual.

"You hold things so close; I was trying to help," he replied caringly after taking a few seconds to think of how to frame his words as to not upset her.

"Not all of us operate on your psychology-school timetable. Stop trying to analyze everything all the time, remember we had rules," Ashton said. As she spoke, she ran her hand against the side of Bull's face hoping to soften any harshness her words may have had to his ears.

"I can't change who I am, Ash," Bull stated.

"And I don't want you to," she answered lightly but firmly. "What I want is for you to stop trying to read my mind so you can stay one step ahead. I've got a lot going on in there, so odds are, you're going to be wrong in your assumption."

"A lot is a bit of an understatement," he exclaimed with a droll smile. Even though his answer was playful and meant to put her at ease, Bull was still watching her reactions, both voluntary and involuntary, with interest.

"I would've told you everything…probably in more detail than you wanted or could have imagined," she replied with her eyes twinkling.

"When?" Bull pressed all serious once again.

"You've been in court this week; I do remember what that means. We would have talked," Ashton impressed upon him. "Your trust is a hard-won prize, Jason, and I know I have to earn it back after everything that's happened between us."

"You don't," he began to protest.

Whatever else Bull might have said was ended as Ashton stepped directly in front of him and kissed him squarely on the lips. "Let your guard down a little and give me a chance, Doc."

"You make it difficult to turn you down," he replied with a sly grin beginning to take over his face as he stroked her dark hair which was still damp from the shower. Bull then let his eyes linger on Ashton as she stood there in her bathrobe and recalled what was underneath.

"Good," she said bluntly. Now it was her turn to guess what was on his mind. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to make it even more difficult for you."

Ashton pointed at the clock in response to Bull's puzzled look. "If you leave now, you'll have just enough time to change your clothes and make it to court on time. Have a good day, Dr. Bull."