AN: This is a oneshot from an idea that's been rattling around in my brain since I started rewatching Murder, She Wrote. I'm a Seth/Jessica shipper, and I've so enjoyed the many wonderful and varied stories here on . There are some very talented writers in this fandom, and I wanted to contribute something small as a thank you for the enjoyment I've received from reading and re-reading all the incredible fics in this universe. I really just wanted to write a scene in which they danced to the song Passionate Kisses, and this is basically how I got them there. It's not canon; it's just for entertainment, which I hope you find in spades.
"You know how to line dance?" Jessica Fletcher turned from her kitchen sink to look at her best friend, Seth Hazlitt, who was seated at her kitchen table, finishing his final cup of coffee for the morning. Her eyebrows practically disappeared into her hairline.
He smirked. "Don't look so surprised, woman! There are a lot of things you don't know about me." Jessica sniffed and Seth glared. "As a matter of fact, Ruthie loved to dance and country western dancing became one of her favorite things for us to do." He smiled at the memory, and Jess smiled to see Seth so open and relaxed.
"Ruth must have been something very special."
"A-yuh." Seth cleared his throat. "She was."
"She must've been." Jess turned back to the sink. "If she could get you dancing!"
Seth stood up from the table, picked up his coffee mug and plate, and brought them over to the sink for Jessica to wash. "I'll have you know I'm a very good dancer! I mean, I'm no Fred Astaire, but I can hold my own." He paused. "From what I recall, you're not a bad dancer yourself." He picked up a dish towel.
"Thanks," she replied dryly. "I don't know anything about line dancing though, or country western music for that matter. And the library fundraiser is Saturday night." She finished washing Seth's breakfast dishes and handed them to him to dry. "It sounded like fun, and I would like to try, but I don't want to make a fool of myself."
"You could never be a fool, Jessica Fletcher." Seth put the clean, dry dishes into the rack, then turned to face her. "Tell you what. I'll come over tonight and we'll practice a bit."
"Here? I don't have the room!"
"Nonsense! We can shift around some of your living room furniture to make a big enough space for a few practice steps. Do you have a cassette player?"
"No - just a radio."
"No problem. I'll bring mine from the office with a couple of tapes."
Jessica looked skeptical. "I don't know."
"For pity's sake, woman! You won't know unless you try! I'll be by after supper."
"Alright, Seth. I'm willing to try." She grinned. "Let's do it!"
"That's the spirit!" Seth grinned back at her as he jammed his hat on his head and left through the back door.
"I can't be any worse than I already am," Jessica murmured to herself.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
True to his word, Seth dropped by promptly after supper with his portable cassette player and a few cassette tapes of various country western artists. "Now, then!" He rubbed his hands together as he surveyed the living room. "Give me a hand here, Jess."
Together they soon had a reasonably large space cleared for dancing. Seth plugged in his tape player and looked through the collection of tapes he'd brought. After musing for a few moments, he picked one and waved it in the air. "This should do. It's a compilation tape, kind of like what we'll be hearing on Saturday night, I imagine."
Jessica wiped her palms on her skirt, a little nervous at the prospect of starting. "Alright. What do we do first?"
"I'm getting to that woman! Let me put the tape in first, won't you?"
Jess smiled. There was something so comforting about Seth's enduring irascibility. She watched as he put the tape into the player, pushed play, and adjusted the volume.
Well, you get down the fiddle and you get down the bow
Kick off your shoes and you throw 'em on the floor
Dance in the kitchen 'til the mornin' light
Louisiana Saturday night
Jessica raised her voice over the music. "That seems a bit fast for the first practice!"
Seth looked thoughtful. "You may be right, Jess. The steps to this dance might be a little complicated for a beginner." He fast forwarded the tape to the next song.
Elvira, Elvira
My heart's on fire for Elvira
"Ok, Jess. This'll be a good one. The tempo's pretty slow. Now, just stand behind me and try to copy the steps. I'll call 'em out to make it easier."
He waited until she was behind him, then he scampered back to the tape player to rewind the song.
"Ok. This is how we start.
Side behind, Side behind touch. Side behind, side behind touch.
Walk behind you: right left right.
Lift your left foot and clap, like this.
Now step forward on your left foot, then raise your right foot and clap.
Step back on your right foot, raise your left foot and clap.
Ok now step right forward, then left, then right and turn to the right and hitch your left knee.
Step left back, step right back, step left back and touch your feet together.
Step right to the side and touch your feet together, then left to the side and and touch your feet together."
He turned to look at Jess, who was adorably muddled. "Those are the basic steps, Jess. You just keep doing 'em over and over until the song ends."
She looked at him sharply. "You're awfully good at this, Seth! I feel like I've got two left feet!"
"Now, now, Jess. Let's just run through this song a couple of times until you get the hang of it." Seth rewound the tape to the beginning of Elvira and they started again. By the fourth time, Jessica was getting the hang of it. "You're doing great, Jess! Let's let the tape play through a couple of different songs."
"Alright." She looked at him fondly, panting slightly. "It is fun, Seth! I can see why you and Ruth enjoyed it so much."
He smiled back at her. "Then let's keep dancing!"
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Jessica was surprised by how quickly she picked up the steps. Now, she could dance beside Seth rather than behind him. The tempo was a little different for each song, but she managed until the fourth song. She was a little taken aback by the song's slow instrumental piano intro. She looked at Seth quizzically.
"Oh, this is one of my favorites, Jess! But it's not one you can line dance to." He held out a hand to her as the drum beat kicked in. "We'll have to dance the old fashioned way!" He was smiling so broadly that she didn't think twice; she just put her hand in his and let him spin her to the music.
Is it too much to ask
I want a comfortable bed that won't hurt my back
Food to fill me up
And warm clothes and all that stuff
Shouldn't I have this
Shouldn't I have this
Shouldn't I have all of this, and
Passionate kisses
Passionate kisses, whoa oh oh
Passionate kisses from you
Is it too much to demand
I want a full house and a rock and roll band
Pens that won't run out of ink
And cool quiet and time to think
They swung round and round the living room, dancing and laughing. Jess couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so light and free. Seth was surprisingly light on his feet and he led her expertly around the room, even though he still had to maneuver among the various pieces of furniture scattered about. She wasn't worried. She trusted him. She'd always trusted him, she realized abruptly.
Do I want too much
Am I going overboard to want that touch
I shout it out to the night
"Give me what I deserve, 'cause it's my right"
Shouldn't I have this (shouldn't I)
Shouldn't I have this (shouldn't I)
Shouldn't I have all of this, and
Passionate kisses
Passionate kisses, whoa oh oh
Passionate kisses from you
She let herself be pulled just that much closer to Seth. She could smell the mellow scent of his aftershave, and she could feel the warmth of his body. She had a curious urge to bury her face in his neck. She hadn't been this close to somebody, to a man, to a man like Seth, in a long time. All of a sudden she could hear the lyrics.
Passionate kisses
Passionate kisses from you
Passionate kisses
Passionate kisses from you
Passionate kisses
Could they? Could she? Seth slowed them as the music faded and the tape clicked off. Jessica let her hands fall, but Seth was right there to catch them in his. They were both breathing heavily in the almost deafening silence of the living room.
"Jess?" Seth croaked.
Without conscious thought, she leaned in to kiss him. She could feel him stiffen in surprise. Had she misread the situation? Seth dropped her hands and grabbed her shoulders, lightly shaking her.
"Jess, don't," he said, the words deep and low in his throat. "Not if it doesn't...not if you don't-"
"I do," she whispered back, and leaned in once more to kiss him. This time, he relaxed into her kiss, gathering her more closely in his arms and moving his hands across her arms and back, pulling her close. He broke their kiss and began peppering her face and neck with light kisses that reminded Jessica of feelings she'd thought were long dead. Seth's lips traveled back up her neck and across her face until he reached her lips, which he traced with his tongue. She shuddered and put a hand to his chest. He drew back immediately.
His brows knitted in concern. "Are you...are we...?"
She smiled at him. "Yes," she said, patting him on the chest. "We are." She chuckled softly. "It just feels slow and fast...a bit like these songs we've been dancing to."
"I feel like I've been dancing with you for years, Jessica Fletcher. All that was missing was the right tune."
Tears pricked the back of her eyelids as she took in this gruff but loving man who had been the friend on whom she'd come so deeply to depend and now the lover from whom she wouldn't be parted by anything other than death.
They didn't fall upon one another as a younger couple might, but there was passion and love in their gentle kisses and caresses.
Reluctantly, Seth drew Jessica from his embrace. "It's getting late, and I ought to be going."
"Must you," she sighed.
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Yes, and what's more you know it, too."
She smiled at him. "I suppose this means you'll be escorting me to the dance on Saturday night?"
"That it does, Mrs. Fletcher, that it does. And anywhere else you'd care to go! Now, give me a hand here and we'll shift all your furniture back into place."
The two made quick work of the cleanup, then Seth gathered his things. "Jessica?"
"Yes?"
"I love you."
Though not unexpected, it was still thrilling to hear the words coming from Seth's lips and to feel how true they were. "I love you, too." She leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "Sweet dreams."
"You bet I will, woman. I'll see you in the morning."
She opened the door for him and watched as he walked down the path to his car. She began humming to herself.
Shouldn't I have this
Shouldn't I have this
Shouldn't I have all of this, and
Passionate kisses