Author's Note: There are two references in this chapter about my real life(I hope only two anyway...) the first being that Cerise's name(from 'Blood in the Sand' and 'Blood in the Snow') comes from my real life nickname, Cherry, from my fiance. Cerise is French for Cherry...so yeah, the bit about Cerise being me...or me being Cerise...is an inside 'argument' between me and my real Sands...
The second being the reference to the stalker...yes, I'm putting up with a stalker in real life...and it's a pain...
Anyway, this fluff is still dedicated to LadySparrowJack. ;)
Unbeta'd. My computer's word processor has kindly decided to hate me tonight...
Somewhere around lunch, I'd settled down at my computer, to TRY and do some writing. I'd gotten another awful case of writer's block over a puny little action story I was doing, called 'Blood in the Snow', with Sands. But nothing was wanting to come and I gave it up to the weather, the time of year and the stress.
I was taking turns, staring at the screen and out my window to watch the cardinals in the snow covered tree, when I heard Sands in the doorway.
"Hey, you know what, I don't appreciate being snoggered on Absinthe and then ending up in a bar fight." He said in an irritated tone.
I looked over my shoulder to see him standing in the door way, gripping both sides of the frames and leaning inward with a scowl on that handsome face. Which gave me my first grin, even if it was weak, I'd in a while. "But you do handle yourself so well, Sheldon." I pointed out. He scowled more and rolled his eyes, before letting go of the frame and come up behind my chair, wrapping both arms around me and resting his chin on my shoulder.
"So you say." He muttered.
"Well you do. And besides, you shouldn't have gotten into the argument with Cerise." I said looking back at the screen.
"You mean you." He said, with a grin. Sands is under the opinion, that just because her name is different, it didn't mean anything, and it was still me. I suppose technically if you wanted to look at it that way, it was true. But I'm not getting into this, because that's HIS theory, not mine.(I'm not really complaining either...)
"Okay, what ever. You still shouldn't have." I said, rolling my eyes.
"But you write it so well..." He whispered in my ear, his hand beginning to slide up under my sweater, his hand on my stomach.
It was a perfect moment, that was shattered, by a massive crash and a storm of swearing, something that happens ALL to often in this house, from the living room. And by the sound of it, the sources were Jack, Mort and Ichabod.
"Oh! Now what?" I snapped angrily, starting to get up, but found that Sands had pushed me back down in the chair, while looking over his shoulder.
"Stay there, I'll find out..." He grumbled irritably, before stealing a quick kiss and leaving the room.
I sat there a whole two seconds, before I was up and out of my chair and following him. "Ally, will you NOT stay in the study?" Sands demanded over his shoulder as I followed him to the living room.
"No!" I stated back, and saw Sands nod to some one, which I should have expected this one, cause Dean cut me off a moment later, to keep me from entering the living room. I glared at Dean as he took my arm. "I knew you were involved!" I hissed.
"I'm not involved, I'm just keeping you out of trouble." Dean replied calmly.
I glared more, narrowing my eyes. "You are too! Just you wait, Dean Corso! I'll make you pay for this one! You're supposed to be on my side! I can't BELIEVE you'd throw your lot in with them! You...you unscrupulous bastard you!"
Dean was taking my ravings very calmly I noticed as he lead me back down the hall, he was even grinning in light of my last comment. Which only irritated me more. Possibly more so, then the yelling that had started in the living room, with Sands demanding to know what the hell had happened when it was supposed to be so bloody easy.
"He's starting to sound like you, you know." Dean said, opening the door to the study again and pushing me in.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, turning to look at him.
"The British Slang, Ally. Sands is starting to use it more and more." He said, looking over the edge of his glasses at me.
I rolled my eyes. "I'll remind you, Mr. Corso, that your assistant is British and that you yourself have been known to use certin words!"
"Lets not bring THAT into this...Cherry." He replied with a tone and the use of a nickname of mine, I rather prefered left out of most conversations.
"Hey, I didn't say you could call me that!" I managed softly, giving him a look, but he just grinned and shrugged as he went over to the wet bar. "Pour me one then." I muttered, flopping down in my chair again and accepting a rum and coke from him a few moments later.
Dean flopped down in the other chair near by. "Dean...what are they up to?" I asked coyly, stirring my drink. Although I shouldn't have, because I should have known, Dean couldn't be swayed by my innocent act.
"No idea." He replied as he sat down his scotch. I glared at him and curled back my lip, which usually let any one know I was getting very angry. But he just stared back at me. I sighed, sat my rum and coke on the desk and leaned back in my office chair, swiveling from side to side a bit.
After a few minutes, I heard Dean get up. "I can tell you this much, Ally." He said, starting towards the door, but stopping next to me. "What Sands and Jack are doing...it'll be for your own good." I snorted illy, but Dean leaned over at kissed me on the forehead, before leaving.
I sat there for a few more minutes, trying to think. Probably would be for my own good...if my stalker didn't reappear any time soon. That was one of my main worries, one I didnt' really discuse with the boys, though I had a feeling that Sands knew about it...
I figured, if I was quiet enough, I could figure out what the boys were doing in the library, so I left the study quietly. After living with a spymaster(Sands)a pirate(Jack), a con-man(Dean, although he doesn't like me to call him that, but we wont get into it), a Bow Street Runner or Inspector(Fred) and a semi psychotic writer, OTHER then my self and many other muses who insist on moving around in silence, I'd picked the trick up very well.
I crept down the hall towards the living room, stopped at the living room door and barely peaked around. When I was sure no one was watching, I eased around the frame a bit more, thanking Sands silently for the lessons in sneaking up on people and took a look.
What I saw made my eyes widen and I had to duck back behind the wall, because I had the feeling Sands heard my gasp. I had to turn and run as fast and as silently as I could back to my study, trying not to giggle to much. I couldn't believe it! But perhaps I should have known, what with the noise and the way Sands had had Dean side track me.
The boys had brought in a large Christmas tree! The arguing had been because they had been trying to get it to stand up right in the corner, where I had wanted to put one to begin with, but it had fallen over, apparently half on top of Ichabod, which explained why he had been yelling as he usually doesn't, and knocked over the glass lamp.
I don't know why Sands couldn't tell me, although he usually went out of his way to keep a secret a secret(some ways worse then others...), but it was really only a matter of time before I found out about the rest of it...if I could come up with a WAY to find out about the rest of it...