All Because of a Rusted Swing Set

"It's slick getting into your neighborhood but other than that I didn't have any trouble," He responded shrugging off his coat.

"I heard from Ellie a few minutes ago. She and Chloe aren't going to risk coming over. We'll get together with them tomorrow if they plow the roads by then," She told him.

"Just us then?" He asked as he hung up his coat.

"Just Miss Em, Mr. H and their Girl Friday for Christmas," She laughed.

"Where is the intrepid Miss Em?" he asked as he followed her inside.

"On the phone with her dad," She told him. "Come help me in the kitchen, she'll be off in few minutes."

He followed her into the kitchen and accepted the spoon she held out to him.

"Stirring duty again huh," He chuckled.

"You only have yourself to blame. Don't forget all the times I've watched you stirring my chili that you love so much. You've become a professional stirrer," She laughed.

"So you're saying that you watch me," He laughed.

"I have to, otherwise you'd eat all of it and Em and I would starve to death," She retorted with a nudge of his arm.

"That's not true," Rory argued then smiled. "Okay, well it's partially true but I'd order you guys a pizza or something first."

"Pizza?" Emily asked as she joined them in the kitchen. "I thought we were having turkey?"

"We are Em," Ashley answered. "Is your dad off the phone?"

"He wants to talk to you," Emily told her then handed her back her cell phone.

"Keep an eye on Mr. H and make sure he doesn't eat it all up before I'm back," Ashley teased.

"I'm on the case," Emily announced with a giggle.

As Ashley excited the kitchen Rory overheard her side of the phone call.

"Yes, Colin, we're having dinner with Rory. Yes, again. Colin, don't start that again..."

The closing door cut off the rest of the conversation but it didn't sound good from Rory's point of view.

****

"Everything okay," Rory asked when she returned a few minutes later.

She took a moment to check the turkey before she spoke and the gravy that he was still stirring.

"We should be ready in about fifteen minutes. Em, do you want to go play in the snow before we eat?" Ashley asked as she set everything on low.

"YES," Emily screamed then took off to get her coat and boots on.

"Want to talk about it," He asked Ashley once Emily was out of the room.

"Not really," She sighed then managed a smile. "Come on, let's go make a snowman with Em."

"Fine but I'm not singing the song. Your neighbors will thank you if I don't." He joked.

Emily waited patiently for her mom and Rory to get their winter gear on, well as much as an eight-year-old can be patient when there's snow on the ground. She was practically bouncing in her snow boots as Ashley and Rory pulled on their coats, gloves and boots. Once outside she and Rory started working on snowman construction as Ashley snapped some pics with her cell phone. Rory was rolling out the base for the snowman under Emily's watchful eye when a snowball exploded on his back.

"Hey," He shouted turning to see Ashley's smiling, red-cheeked and guilty face. "You just declared snow war, Ash!"

"I just had to do it, Rory," Ashley giggled. "You were the perfect target!"

"I'll show you a perf..." He started to say as he grabbed a handful of snow but before he could pat out his own projectile, he took another hit.

"Medic," he cried out staggering backward. "Medic, I've been hit!"

"I'm here Mr. H," Emily shouted out gleefully as she grabbed his hand.

She pulled him down to a crouch then launched her own devious attack by smashing him with two handfuls of snow when he was at her level.

"Betrayer," Rory shouted snatching her up into his arms.

She began laughing as he grabbed another handful of snow then launched it in Ashley's direction. The giggling and squirming child threw his aim off and he missed badly.

"Nice throw, Rory," Ashley teased as she grabbed a handful of snow to reload.

"Your pint-sized saboteur is doing her job too well," Rory called out as he wrestled with the still squirming and giggling Emily.

"Excuses, excuses," Ashley laughed.

"What's a sabo-whatever?" Emily asked cutely.

"One who practices the art of sabotage," he answered her with a grin.

"You're going to make me look it up aren't you," she asked.

"After dinner, Em, and like Rory and I showed you in the dictionary not online," Ashley answered. "Speaking of dinner, it should be ready. Snow war truce?"

"I concede the battle and your overwhelming victory over me," Rory bowed which caused them to laugh.

"See, Em, he is smarter than he looks," Ashley teased as they walked back into the house.

They spent much of the dinner chatting and laughing about the snow war.

"When are we going to finish making the snowman?" Emily asked.

"We'll have a little time after dinner. That is if Mr. H isn't afraid to go back outside," Ashley said with a smirk on her pretty face.

"You're the one that should be worried, Ashley. I hear that payback is a... dish best served cold," he corrected himself for Emily's sake.

"That's revenge," Ashley teased him.

"Not until I throw the first snowball it isn't," He laughed.

"Sounds like the snow war truce is ending," Emily giggled as she pushes her fork through her mashed potatoes.

"It sure does but if you want to be a part of it stop playing with your food and eat it," Ashley told her. "I have a feeling I'll need my saboteur at full strength out there."

****

After the dishes were put away they once again donned their snow gear when Emily pointed at them and gleefully announced, "Mama, you're under the mistletoe with Mr. H!"

Ashley and Rory both look up then back at each other.

"Ash, we don't have to kiss," Rory whispered to her.

"Can't have any bad luck for the new year now can we, Mr. H," Ashley smiled at him.

She leaned up, closed her eyes and puckered her lips. Seeing her like that killed Rory's hesitation and he mirrored her movements until his lips touched hers. As brief as the kiss was his mind cataloged a myriad of sensations in that moment. The tenderness of her lips, the sweet taste of the dessert they had just shared and the smell of vanilla from where she was cooking earlier all hit him like a bolt from the blue. Ashley looked away quickly as they parted but he can tell that short meshing of their lips had an effect on her as well.

She cleared her throat and announced, "That snowman isn't going to build himself you two," before heading out the door.

Rory looked down at Emily who had the biggest smile on her cute face.

"Come on, troublemaker," he chuckled as he took her hand and led her outside. "Let's go finish up that snowman of yours so Santa sees it when he comes by later tonight."

****

After the snowman was built to Emily's satisfaction they all headed back inside to warm up. Rory volunteered to whip up some hot chocolate while Ashley and Em checked on Santa's progress via the news.

"He's getting close," Emily informed him as he handed her a steaming cup.

"He is huh," Rory asked as he handed Ashley the other cup. "I guess it's almost time for a certain little girl to head off to bed then."

"I think Santa will wait until she finishes her cocoa," Ashley shared. Emily nodded then took a sip from her mug before she yawned.

"I guess all the outdoor snow fun is catching up to your saboteur, Ash," Rory pointed out.

"It's tiring work winning a snowball fight and making a snowman all in one afternoon, Rory," Ashley laughed.

Ten minutes later Em had fallen asleep on the couch while they were watching A Christmas Story.

"Looks like we wore her out," Ashley whispered.

"Do you want to put her in bed while I get the stuff out of my car?" Rory asked her as he stood up and collected their mugs from the coffee table.

She nodded and scooped up Emily in her arms. Emily mumbled something then fell right back to sleep. As Ashley tucked her in Rory went out to his car and retrieved the packages.

"Thanks again for storing these for me," Ashley told him while they placed the gifts under the blinking lights of her Christmas tree. "She's at the age where she's starting to look for these and I'm out of hiding spaces."

"Chloe's the same and believe me, this is a lot easier than having to go out with a shopping list from Ellie telling me exactly what to buy then having to deliver them on time," he shared.

"Shopping in L.A. sounds like it'd be a lot of fun actually," She opined.

"Not when Ellie gives you the list at the last minute and you have to fight all the other last-minute shoppers," He shared.

"And you always came through for Chloe I'm sure," She teased.

"I couldn't very well let Santa down now could I?" he asked.

She laughed and shook her head.

"Rory, about earlier," She began then paused as if trying to figure out what she wanted to say.

He continued filling Emily's stocking with goodies as he waited for her to complete her thought.

"The call with Colin I mean," She finally said. "He's worried about you getting so close to us."

"How so," He asked.

"He tried telling me that you see Em and me as some kind of charity case," She sighed.

"You don't think that do you, Ash," Rory asked.

"I can see how it could look that way to some people but we're friends and you've never given me money for anything, though I know you would in a second if we asked," She said. "That makes us friends not a charity case. Besides, I pay you in chili."

"It's really good chili," He laughed.

"As good as our kiss earlier," She asked with her face away from him so he couldn't see her blush as she waited for his answer.

"Not even in the same league," He stated without hesitation.

"Wow, you answered that really fast. I guess we might have to try that again in the future, Rory," She laughed.

"Remind me to buy stock in the mistletoe industry," He joked.

"Just keep loading the stocking Santa and I'll handle any mistletoe business from now on," She giggled. "You just keep those lips of yours ready for the next time, Mr. H."

****

"You're late," Ellie whispered as she held open her door so Rory can enter with arms full of Santa's gifts for Chloe.

"I had to let Ashley give these a once over to make sure we didn't get Emily and Chloe's presents mixed up," he quietly explained.

"I hate that we couldn't make it tonight but my little car doesn't do snow," She shared as she escorted him to the living room.

"I could have picked you up, El. All you had to do was call me," He told her.

"You can pick us up and take us over tomorrow," She told him. "I thought that you could use a little time with Ashley. By the look of things, I was right." Rory noticed Ellie staring at him with a wide smile.

"What's that look for?" He inquired.

"That's not a shade of lipstick I would have chosen for you," She giggled. "I mean it looks good but I'm guessing it looks better on Ashley."

"There was mistletoe and Emily caught Ashley and I under it," He told her. Ellie says nothing but the smirk on her face speaks volumes.

"That's all it was, Ellie. It was very brief," he continued explaining.

"Hey, I'm not judging. You're single, she's single and I've told you repeatedly that you should just go for it with her," She told him.

"We're just friends and we're going to the New Year's thing as just that. I'm not sure either of us are looking for more right now," He sighed.

"You need to move on from that little Hollywood bitch," She grumbled

"I think Ashley deserves to be more than a rebound fling," Rory argued and Ellie laughed.

"Rory, you're not that type of guy and Ashley knows that. Anything that happens between the two of you won't be because of your ex or hers," She told him. "How can she even be a rebound anything anyway? It's been like six months or more since you broke up."

"I don't know the time limits on these sort of things," Rory admitted as he knelt by the tree to arrange Chloe's gifts.

"Three months," Ellie answered. "You're all good on the rebound, not a rebound front."

"Oh, you're the expert huh," Rory chuckled.

"Yep," Ellie answered with confidence.

"Speaking of ex's, Ash's was on the phone when I got there," Rory reported. "He was talking to Em then he spoke with Ash about me. He warned her that I thought they were a charity case."

"What did Ashley say to that?" She asked.

"That she could see how people might see it like that but she knows that we're friends and I don't treat them like that," He told her. "She also pointed out that she pays her way with chili."

"I think you love the company far more than you can love any chili she cooks for you," Ellie giggled.

When he couldn't come up with a compelling argument he tossed Chloe's empty stocking at her.

"Just fill the stocking, sis."

****

A few days before New Years Eve

"Ellie, this is way too much!" Ashley insisted as she looked at herself in the full-length mirror in the dressing room.

She, Ellie and Tara had all gone out shopping for a new dress for Ashley's New Year's Eve date with Rory.

"Nonsense, Ash," Ellie called back. "I've got Rory's credit card and he said for you to get whatever you wanted."

"I want to wear that dress that I got last year," Ashley called back.

"No way, Ash," Tara said. "You cannot go to a party at the mayor's house without a new dress."

"One that will knock everyone dead as soon as they see you in it," Ellie added. "So come out here and let us see you in it!"

"Yeah," Tara said. "Get your butt out here before we start chanting your name and cause a big scene."

"You wouldn't dare," Ash cried out.

"Ash-ley. Ash-ley. Ash-ley," Tara started.

"All right fine!" Ashley told her.

She pulled open the dressing room door and stepped out in front of her friends.

"Oh wow!" Tara exclaimed as her mouth fell open.

Ellie smiled then quickly waved over a salesperson. She pointed at Ashley then at the credit card in her own hand.

"Grab the tag off that dress and charge it to this," She told the woman.

"Ellie, it's..." Ashley started to protest.

"Perfect," Tara jumped in.

"Exactly," Ellie said then stepped over and removed the tag from the dress. "Oops, we gotta buy it now."

The saleswoman smiled, took the tag and the card then hurried off towards the register before Ashley could argue.

"Get changed, Ash," Ellie grinned at her friend. "Because now we have to find shoes and a purse to go along with that spectacular dress!"

"And lingerie!" Tara giggled. "She'll need some sexy undies for a dress like that."

"I'm not sure I can even wear any in a dress like this," Ashley grumbled.

"Ooo, even better," Tara laughed.

Ashley gave her a glare when she gave an exasperated sigh and went back into the dressing room to change. She paused at the mirror and checked herself out one more time then, with a smile, she changed back into her regular clothes.

****

New Year's Eve

"You look nice, Mr. H," Emily said as she answered her door.

Rory had arrived at their place in his tuxedo a little early just in case anyone was running behind.

"Thank you, Miss Em," he smiled at her. "Have you and Chloe been having fun?"

"We have!" She answered enthusiastically. "Aunt Ellie is playing board games with us!"

"Awesome," He smiled at the thought of his sister having to endure several rounds of Monopoly.

"Always early huh, bro," Ellie giggled as Emily escorted him into the kitchen where they sat playing Monopoly.

"I hate these things," He grumbled as he fussed with his tie.

Ellie got up and straightened it with a laugh.

"Poor baby has to get all dressed up for a party," She teased him.

"I'd rather just spend the evening here with the girls, playing games and waiting for the ball to drop," He sighed. "Not being shown off like the town's celebrated son as you called me."

"I think that might change your mind," Ellie smiled as she nodded over his shoulder.

Rory turned and his breath caught in his throat. Ashley had come downstairs in her dress. She was wearing a black, floor-length evening dress that had a slit that showed off one of her incredible legs. Her toned shoulders were bare as it was an off the shoulder dress and hinted at just a taste of her cleavage. Her hair was worn down and she, Ellie and the girls spent some time giving it waves.

"You're gorgeous," Rory said as a smile blossomed on his face.

"Thank you, Rory," She smiled back him.

"You clean up really nice as well."

"Really gorgeous," he repeated which caused Emily and Chloe to giggle at him while Ellie shook her head.

"I think you broke him, Ash," Ellie commented with a grin.

Ashley smiled as she walked over to Rory and cupped his cheek lovingly.

"He just needs a minute, El," She told her. "Don't you, Mr. H."

Rory felt the warmth of her touch on his skin and he nodded before he found his words.

"Shall we?" He asked and offered her his arm.

She hooked his arm with hers in answer then turned to Emily.

"Be good for Aunt Ellie, Em," She told her.

"I'll be extra good," Emily answered then winked at Rory.

Ashley looked at Rory and caught him wink back but she let it lie as she gave her a kiss on her forehead while telling her goodnight. She copied the kiss on Chloe's forehead then it was Rory's turn with the two little ones. After that the pair headed out to the waiting car that was sent for them by Reg. Rory had tried arguing that it was a small town and he didn't want to roll up looking like some kind of big shot but Reg had assured him that he wasn't being singled out. All of the guests were going to arriving in a similar fashion so Rory reluctantly agreed. He had to admit that it was a nice ride.

****

When the car pulled up to the mayor's mansion, true to Reg's word, they were third in a line of similar car's that were dropping off guests.

"It's like a Hollywood premiere," Ashley commented as she saw a few of the local news stations were doing live shots from the event.

Rory agreed as their driver pulled to a stop and the attendant opened the door for them. Rory stepped out first then turned and helped Ashley out. Ashley flushed slightly when she heard the attendant mumble out wow as he saw her. She took Rory by the arm and followed his example as he gave a slight wave toward the cameras. They climbed the stairs and Ash had never felt more self-conscious as the slit in her dress showed a lot more leg as she ascended the stairs.

"Gorgeous," Rory whispered into her ear when he felt her tighten her grip on his arm.

She smiled and gave his forearm an appreciative pat just as they reached the mayor and his wife. It took the mayor a second to recover and pull his eyes off Ashley before he greeted them.

"Welcome, Mr. Harrison," Mayor Keith greeted them cheerfully. "We are so glad that you were able to attend our party."

"We wouldn't have dreamed of missing it, Mr. Mayor," Rory said with a wide smile. "Thank you ever so much for inviting us. May I present my date, Ms. Ashley Spencer."

Having played the Hollywood game, he was well versed in how to schmooze when it was necessary. He shook the mayor's offered hand then received an impromptu hug from the mayor's wife.

"Sorry, I'm just such a huge fan," She explained as she stepped back beside her husband. "I'm hoping to manage to get a preview of your next book out of you before tonight is over."

"You're going to love it," Ashley commented as she stroked Rory's arm possessively.

"You've read it?" The mayor's wife asked her as she noticed Ashley marking her territory.

"I was once told that I was his kryptonite so I decided to see if that was an accurate statement," Ashley laughed.