She's only happy when she's dancing
Chapter 5

Disclaimer:
I own nothing. Nothing at all.

GA

His head shot up when he heard her say "Don't apologize". His eyes met hers and he looked more insecure than he ever had.

"I never should have kissed you", Mark told her, backing away from her. "You're my best friend. I don't want to lose you".

This time Ashley didn't try to hold onto him. She simply sat on the floor, her back resting against the bed.

"You're not going to lose me", Ashley reassured him.

"You say that now", Mark replied from the other side of the room as he was pouring himself a drink.

"Well, I mean it. You won't lose me, Mark".

Ashley watched him as he paced the floor on the other side of the room. He seemed genuinely hurt and upset, something she hadn't seen before. He had never been this open about his emotions.

"Stop pacing the floor, Mark. You might fall through the ceiling", Ashley joked.

Mark looked at her for a split second before continuing his pacing.

"Fine, don't listen then", Ashley muttered softly.

When Mark sat down in one of the chairs, Ashley waited a few more minutes before standing up and making her way over to him. She knelt down in front of the chair and rested her hands on his knees. She could see that Mark was trying very hard not to react to her touch.

"Hey", she said softly, waiting for him to look at her. When his eyes met hers again, she asked, "What's wrong, Mark?"

He shook his head, trying to tell her without words that he didn't want to talk about it.

"Mark, please tell me what's wrong", Ashley tried again.

"It's nothing, Ash. Nothing.", Mark told her, his voice strained with emotion.

Ashley shook her head. "Well, nothing has never got you worked up like this", she told him.

"Stop pushing, Ashley", Mark warned her, his eyes now fixed on her, his face drained from all color and his lips pressed together in a thin line.

But Ashley didn't back down. If there was one thing she learned during the time she had known Mark, it was that you had to push him to open up. Normally she would have backed down, agreeing to his warning, but not now. She hated seeing him like this and she was desperate to find out why he was acting this way. But instead of speaking up again, she stood up and walked towards the desk and poured herself a drink. She thought that maybe if she ignored him, Mark would open up to her.

A few moments later a small glorious smile reached Ashley's lips when Mark spoke up.

"I made a promise to your Dad", Mark said, barely audible.

Ashley nodded her head. She knew all about the deal her father supposedly had made with Mark. But, knowing that Mark really needed to talk, she decided not to mention that she knew. Instead she turned around so she was facing him and smiled softly.

"What kind of promise?", she asked him.

"He asked me to keep you safe. To look out for you. To make sure you wouldn't get hurt. And I promised him. But I can't even do that right", Mark told her, his voice sounding broken.

She walked towards him and kneeled in front of him once again.

"But you did, Mark. You did it right", Ashley told him, smiling up at him.

He looked at her. His eyes pleading for a explanation.

"Whenever I'm with you, I feel great. I feel protected, I feel safe. And of course, I've been hurt. But never by you Mark. Ever. People get hurt sometimes, that's life. You can't prevent it from happening, you can only be there, ease the pain and dry the tears. And you did all of that Mark. Without having to ask you, you were there in times of need, you were the one I called whenever life got in the way. So you did everything you have promised my father. That and a whole lot more", Ashley told him softly, aching for his arms to hold her.

Mark looked down at her, his eyes searching hers, his thumb reaching for her face, softly wiping away the tears that had spilled from her eyes.

"You mean that?", Mark asked her, still a little insecure.

Ashley nodded. "I knew", she tells him softly.

He looks at her surprise. "Knew what?"

"About the promise. I knew about the promise. My dad told me a few days before he died".

Mark now looks confused. "Why didn't you tell me? That way I wouldn't have told you everything", he said, sounding a little angry.

"I figured you would feel better after telling me", she told him. "Do you?", she asked him and saw him nodding his head.

"Besides, my dad made you promise him to keep me save, but not just because he was worried about my well-being. Dad always knew I could take care of myself. He was also worried that I would end up alone and he wanted us to end up together. That's why he asked you for that promise instead of Derek. According to my dad we have a wonderful chemistry and that his one wish contained us being happy together. He told me this because he knew that you never would. You would keep your promise no matter what", Ashley told him.

Mark nodded. She saw his face clear up and the smile that played on his lips had also reached his eyes, which were now sparkling a little. She could see he was planning something in his mind.

Mark suddenly pulled her to her feet and than pulled her down into his lap. His hot breath tickled her ear when he spoke.

"So, your dad wants us together?"

GA

To be continued!

So, vulnerable Mark…. We hardly see anything like that in GA, so hopefully he doesn't seem to out of character. This chapter was relatively easy to write (Yeah for me) and it made me want to write even more. So hopefully the next chapter will be up within a few days.

Please review! You will make my day!