The Couple
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The first major episode for Crash is, ironically enough, technically a Craig and Manny episode: Take My Breath Away. There was some Crash interaction before that episode, and according to one of Sean's character journals that appeared on the official Degrassi website, Ashley was one of two girls that Craig asked him about after they had first met. So take what you will of that! Anyway, that journal appears to be a clue to what becomes clear in Take My Breath Away, in which our first hint is Craig and Ashley talking by some lockers where they look very comfy and flirty. Unfortunately, Manny is quite persistent in this crush of hers so she asks Craig out on a date, which he agrees to. However, later, on the night of the date when Craig tells Joey where he is going, Joey asks him "So you finally asked that Ashley girl out?" (TMBA), making it clear that Craig indeed had talked about Ashley before and clearly had a crush on her and probably was wanting to ask her out. The date goes badly and Manny is threatened by Ashley even in this episode, after Craig signs a petition for Ashley, Manny tells him that she doesn't want him to talk to her anymore. Craig ends up telling Manny that he doesn't like her after all.
Later in the year, Ashley and Craig are paired up for a project in English class in which they must interpret a scene of William Shakespeares "The Taming of the Shrew". At the time, Jimmy and Ashley are a couple again and she is having trouble: wondering if he likes her as much with her goth look as he did before it and whether or not they still connect. While rehearsing their version of the play in which they believe the main male character is a manipulative and abusive sexist, Ashley asks Craig if they are making the character out to be too much of a villain, to which Craig responds "Because if he really loved Kate, he wouldn't want to change her...he'd love her for who she is." (DIB). Ashley ends up breaking up with Jimmy at the end of the episode after she makes it a point to show him with her and Craig's interpretation that Jimmy can't change her.
By the end of the school year, it seems that Craig and Ashley have developed a friendship. She meets his dad when he stops by the school one day, and Ashley encourages Craig to talk to him more, not knowing the full situation (his dad used to beat him, more about that in Craig's bio here). Craig asks Ashley to the end of the year luau dance and she agrees. Craig does end up going to meet his dad for dinner and they have a fight over Craig not wanting to go back to living with his dad. His dad says something bad about Ashley and Craig defends her, when his dad continues to say harsh things about other things like Joey, Craig pushes him and his dad hits him, causing Craig to fall onto the sidewalk. His dad drives off angry, and Craig learns the next day that he got into an accident and didn't survive. When Craig actually shows up for school, everyone is shocked, especially Ashley. Craig is acting very casual about his dad's death and Ashley is particularly surprised when she finds out that Craig still wants to go to the dance, he even enters them into the King and Queen contest. The night of the dance things seem to be going okay, they even win King and Queen, but when they go onstage to accept their crowns, Craig thinks he sees his dad in the crowd and he finally breaksdown. However, before he leaves, he insists that he and Ashley have their dance. He tells her that she can ask him how he's doing, she says "How are you doing, Craig?" and Craig responds, "Better." (TANE). They hug and continue to dance.
At the beginning of the following school year, Craig and Ashley are officially a couple. They have a typical, sweet relationship, but eventually it's clear that Craig wants something more...physical. Ash wants to know he loves her first but Craig isn't sure how to express his feelings. He ends up writing her a really cute song (Shine). On a huge mistake of a night (which Craig does pretty much describe it as much later) in which Craig and Ashley fight after she tells him she wants to have sex but he tells Spinner and she gets upset and says he doesn't really love her, he storms out and after Manny follows him and pretty much throws herself at him, he sleeps with her. The following school day (after the weekend) Ashley wants Craig back (without knowing about Manny) so he gets back together with her. Manny is crushed but ends up pursuing him anyway and he stupidly gives in, thus cheating on Ashley.
For a month or so, he goes back and forth between both girls but after a while, Manny wants Craig to break up with Ashley. He can't do it but after Ashley sees Craig's Christmas gifts in the garage she figures things out about Manny when she sees the (hideous and cheap for the record) gold braclet on Manny's wrist that she had seen before. Ashley slaps Craig and breaks up with him, and Manny does too (copy cat ;-)) so Craig is left alone and regretful, when he talks to Joey about it, it's pretty apparent that he regrets cheating on Ash more...he only refers to Manny as "the other girl" and not by name.
Months later, both Craig and Ashley's bands enter a Battle of the Bands contest, Craig is upset that Ashley is still angry with him about the cheating. Ashley is unphased, however, and she performs a song that is clearly a jab at him and what he did. They fight about it and Craig ends up telling his band that he wants to drop out of the contest, that Ashley already won. The band doesn't want to drop out but when they arrive at the contest and it's time to go onstage, Craig is nowhere to be found. At the last minute, he shows up and sings a really sweet apology song (Dust) to Ashley and the crowd loves it. The boys win the contest and when Ashley goes up to congratulate them, she says to Craig, "Nice lyrics, they were just right." (RRHS).
The first day of the following school year, Craig and Ashley bump into each other in the hallway and have a bit of an awkward moment. Ashley later goes up to him in class and apolgizes for being "weird", they become more comfortable when she asks him about his birthday and he tells her that his dad left a $10,000 check for him in his will. Ashley goes along with Craig to go "shopping" and he ends up buying a $4,000 guitar.
The two have become friends again and a little bit later in the year, Ashley is playing with Downtown Sasquatch, Craig's band. After a tragic incident in which a boy who was harassed brought a gun to school and shot Jimmy, leaving him paralayzed from the waist down, Ashley sort of replaces Jimmy in the band. They are getting ready to go into the recording studio (the prize for the Battle of the Bands contest from the previous year) and Marco and Spinner (who are also bandmembers) get upset that Ashley is getting to be a part of it...they want the band to be just guys. Craig disagrees but the band keeps pressuring him. The first time he goes to tell her, he can't go through with it, but kisses her instead! Ashley walks away surprised and confused. Craig thinks that they're back together but when they talk, Ashley says that maybe they were just reaching for something familiar and they agree not to screw up their friendship. Ultimately, at the studio the band forces Craig to tell Ashley about not wanting her in the band and she gets upset and leaves. Craig is upset as well and as he is singing the song ("Dust", the one that was for Ashley), he stops before it's over and starts to leave the studio, telling Spinner and Marco "Everything, it was all about Ashley." (ND). He runs after her and tells her "the recording studio will always be there, but you? I wasn't so sure". They kiss and are back together.
About a week later, Ashley is really stressed out about her dad's upcoming wedding to another man (yes, he's gay...it's explained in Ashley's bio here), and it doesn't help matters that Spinner and Marco are still mad and Ashley's mom, Kate, doesn't want her and Craig back together. Craig is afraid that Ashley will listen to her mom and break up with him again, and he has some strange outbursts that Ashley is taken aback over. Craig ends up getting them a hotel room where they can be alone and spend time together. They have a sweet moment in which they exchange "I love you's" and have sex for the first time and they're both really happy. At the rehearsal party for the wedding, Craig and Ash are still on cloud nine and after she tells him "I so, so love you" Craig seems to get a realization on his face and he tells her he'll be back. He comes back with a ring (his mother's ring) and proposes to Ashley. She is taken aback, and says "no", that she can't. Craig gets upset and goes back to the hotel room and trashes it, by now it is quite clear that something is up with Craig. Ashley has second thoughts about her answer and tries to call him, finally reaching him in the morning. He's upset that she's calling him after saying no to his proposal but she tells him "I can't marry you, yet, but I want to, I do." He asks "So, that's a someday?" and Ashley responds "That's a yes." Craig gets a little too overly excited and he goes on a spree with Joey's credit card (that he "borrowed" to charge the hotel on) to get himself a nice suit. At the wedding, Craig announces their engagement to the shocked crowd and Ashley gets embarassed and upset, telling him that she wants him to leave and she changed her mind. Craig makes yet another scene telling her parents that he loves her and that they're going to make her stop seeing him again. He finally leaves, distraught, and Ashley is really upset as well. At Joey's, Craig leaves a check to pay for the hotel damages and his spree and he tries to leave but Joey gets home first. He tells Craig to sit down and talk to him but Craig refuses, saying that he's fine. Joey grabs a hold of him and Craig shoves Joey into the dresser, he then wrestles Joey to the ground and begins punching him. Caitlin and Angie are shouting for Craig to stop but he doesn't seem to be listening to them. Ashley walks in the door and rushes to Craig, calling his name and telling him to stop as well. She finally grabs his arm and he looks at her and seems to forget about Joey. Ashley cries and tells Craig that he needs help and Craig finally sees what he did to Joey and he also cries. Craig is admitted to the hospital where they find out that he has bipolar disorder. Ashley tells him that she's not leaving and Craig responds "So, you're here with me?" Ashley says "Absolutely". (VC)
She encourages Craig to go to a mental health group that Ellie goes to, except she leaves the part about Ellie out. Craig gets angry with her and when they make up, he tells her that he'll keep going but "Ash, I want to be your boyfriend...not the crazy guy you've got to save all the time." (Secret). A bit later, it's time for prom, but Ash has some news...she's going to England with her dad for the summer! Craig isn't too thrilled with this news but he ends up having news of his own to share: the director Kevin Smith (of Jay and Silent Bob fame) wants to do a movie at Degrassi, and he wants Craig to work on the soundtrack! Ashley gets excited about this and Craig says "See, I told you you weren't going". (WEG)
They write a song (Nothing At All)and play it for Kevin's music guy, but he doesn't like it...however, they perform the song at the prom and everyone, including Kevin, loves it. Craig is surprised to find out that Ashely is still planning to go on her trip when she tells him "I'm going to miss you so much." Craig is really sad about her leaving, but he seems to accept it, he gives her a journal to write about all her experiences so he can hear all about it when she comes back. However, with Kevin Smith and Caitlin's influence, Craig decides to buy a ticket for himself and surprises Ashley when she's leaving, saying he's going with her. She tells him he can't follow her to England and they get into an arguement. She asks if he's off his meds and he says "No, I'm not off my meds. I'm here cause I love you and I have plans." (GDTR) Ashley finally just tells him that she loves him but she needs space and to get away...from him. With that, she loads the rest of her stuff into the trunk and tells him to email her, that she'll see him in September, and walks away crying.
Craig waits for Ashley all summer but Ellie gets an email at the beginning of the school year from Ashley, saying that she's staying in England and that she met someone else. Ashley wants to wait to tell Craig, but Ellie opens her mouth to other people and Craig ends up finding out. He's devestated of course, but according to Marco not that surprised (*sniff, i know this is just too sad*). Craig focuses on his music and he gets signed halfway into the year...so he moves to Vancouver to start working on an album. Ashley returns to Toronto for graduation (to watch her friends graduate) and when she runs into Ellie and hears about Craig going to Vancouver she says "Really? Wow. I guess I knew he was always destined for greatness." (HF) After the ceremony, everyone is gathered outside greeting each other and Craig arrives...across the way Ashley and Ellie are hugging when Ellie turns and sees Craig, Ashley turns as well and she smiles. Craig smiles and waves (technically we don't know for sure who he was waving at but he'd have to have amnesia to not recognize Ash). And that is their history so far.
I have no doubt in my mind that these two will come back to each other again one day...hopefully not too far away in the future!
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