Having decided that the team needed some bonding time ( outside of the usual, life-and-death situations), Will had managed to pester Kate, Henry and Ashley into a night out at a local bar. Cheap, greasy food, strong drinks and good friends…what could be better.

They even had some fun teasing each other as Will attempted and failed to flirt with a few girls (his chat-up lines were cringe worthy), while Kate got a few phone numbers herself. Ashley had never been one to date guys outside of the Abnormal world, as most normal dudes were intrigued by the amount of whether she wore, but ran like hell at the first sign that she could kick their asses.

Usually, she could count on Henry to stick with her at the table. The two of them had always enjoyed watching the increasingly soused crowds attempts to look up and laughed quietly at the strange behaviors.

Tonight however, when Henry had gone to the bar to get their pitcher refilled, he'd been accosted by a small pack of young women. One of them, a cute brunette in her glasses, lay a hand on his chest and said, "Where did you get your shirt? I love it!"

Henry looked shocked and Ashley mused that the girl's appreciation probably had more to do with the way the shirt pulled across his shoulders and biceps than the shirt itself. He T-shirt was plain gray, with black lettering that read There're only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand Binary and those who don't.

She didn't really get the joke, but Henry insisted it was funny.

As it happened, Henry's little pack of admirers world grad students at OCTI (Old City Technical Institute) and not only appreciated the humor of his shirt, but understood it. From their fawning, it was clear that the girls had been unaware that male computer nerds came in Hottie packaging as well as the Poindexter variety they were used to.

Flattered, Henry still manage to return the beer to their table, but was immediately shoved back towards the OCTI girls by Will.

Ashley wanted to kick him for that and was in a bad mood for the rest of the night. Sensing her vibe, Kate dragged Will off to destroy him at darts, leaving Ashley to brood.

She knew she shouldn't be upset. It wasn't like she and Henry were dating. Hell, she didn't even know he looked at her that way. There were times when she thought he did, but he never made a move….

It would be a lot easier if one of them didn't totally suck at this sort of thing.

When a pink and flushed Henry finally made his way back to their table, she was unhappily stirring a bowl of pretzels with her finger. "Hey," he said, taking in her posture. "You okay?"

"Fine," she said, then glanced over to see Will was now watching Kate hustle some idiot at darts. "I think I'm gonna jet. I'm sure you can catch a ride with…."

"Nah, I'll come with you," Henry cut her off and together they elbowed their way through the crowd to reach the door.

Once outside, Ashley took a bracing breath of night air.

"Feels nice. It was hot in there, right?" Henry commented as they slowly walked towards her bike. "Sorry I kinda bailed on you guys tonight, but it's not often I get to talk with my fellow tech enthusiasts. They told me there's a bar closer to their campus that does pub quizzes on Tuesdays. We should…."

That was it. Go time. She had to make a move or Henry would be charmed by some chick who could talk dirty in Binary to him.

Not gonna happen.

Spinning on him, Ashley grabbed Henry by the front of his shirt and pushed him into the wall. He landed with a small, "Oomph!", but whatever else he might have said was lost as she attacked his mouth with her own. She pinned to the wall with her body and was delighted when he grasped her hip with one hand and buried the other in her hair.

When she caught his bottom lip between her teeth and gave a playful tug, he growled softly and she shivered, noting the flecks of gold in his green eyes. Gently, she rocked her hips into his and noted his eyes weren't the only physical sign of his arousal and that knowledge sent a jolt of pleasure through her.

"Ash?" he said her name and she hummed his husky tone. "Not that I'm complaining, but…."

"You're mine," she murmured, looking a broad stripe along his neck, then pausing to bite at that point when you became shoulder. He gasped ( in a good way) and she soothes the spot with her tongue before murmuring, "Not gonna let some coed move in on you."

"Were you jealous?" His eyes were wide and thought and she glared playfully.

"You gonna tease me about it are we going home to continue this in a private setting?"

Needless to say, there was no more teasing… well, not about the jealousy thing anyhow.

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