A/N: Not sure what to say here. I didn't want to post again until I got this chapter just right, but since you're all so very anxious... here's a little something 'till next time. I just hope that it lives up to your expectations. Thanks so much for all the feedback, the response were pretty overwhelming and I hope that you're happy with what comes next.

Disclaimer: You know I don't own South, that privilege belongs to Tom Lynch, but I also borrowed one line from Sylvia Plath (you get a cookie if you know which one), no infringement intended.

VI.

Spencer watches Ashley for some kind of reaction, anything. But Ashley's eyes just drop to the floor and she stays silent. Spencer thinks for a second that maybe Ashley hadn't actually heard her, but of course she had. Ashley clenches her fists and Spencer sees her jaw tighten and worries for a second that Ashley might actually hit her. But of course she doesn't. What she does is worse.

Ashley just turns on her heel and walks away.

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Spencer feels like she can't breathe. The silence was heavy and the weight of it was more than Spencer could bear, the silence of it pervading her senses and it was like being burned alive along her nerves. She didn't care if Ashley yelled. If she screamed at her and called her names. Something. But Ashley doesn't say anything or even look at her and it's making Spencer angry.

She knows it's awful for her to be angry, that she's just being selfish if she's this desperate for a reaction, but dammit, she'd cheated on her wife, that warrants some sort of response. Then something strikes Spencer. But she can't believe attention is all she'd wanted. Sure, she'd wanted it, it was part of the reason she'd done this; because at least Aiden had noticed her, but she couldn't have hoped that Ashley would suddenly grant her interest for being unfaithful.

And it wasn't like this wasn't killing Spencer. She hated herself for it. Hated herself so much that sometimes she couldn't stand being in her own skin. She was disgusted with herself for letting it happen. And with Aiden for starting it in the first place. Spencer has no qualms with taking responsibility for her actions, but there'd be no actions to take responsibility for if Aiden hadn't come to keep her company that night Rowan slept over Stevie's house. If Aiden hadn't broken out the beer and insisted they make it a party. If Aiden hadn't looked over at her with that barely-veiled longing and kissed her. If Aiden hadn't kissed her, Spencer would've never considered kissing him back.

Spencer wants to tell Ashley all of this. She wants to tell her how incredibly sorry she is, how she was just so lonely and even thought that's no excuse, it's the only reason Spencer has. Really, Spencer was just so desperate for any sort of attention, she took it without thinking. Ashley knows what that's like. And Spencer really doesn't want to make excuses because she knows what she's done is beyond wrong, but she can't help feeling the tiniest bit justified in her actions. And that hurts Spencer more than anything.

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Spencer waits outside her son's door while Ashley reads him a story. After she tucks him into bed, Ashley turns out the light and closes the door behind her. Spencer is waiting for her in the hallway, but Ashley won't even meet her eyes. Spencer follows her down the corridor, asks if they're going to talk about this.

"No," Ashley says, "we're really not."

"You can't do that. You can't just--" and Ashley interrupts and her voice is dripping with disdain.

"I can't do that? I can't do that. I really don't think you're in the position to tell me what to do. Do you?"

Spencer takes a step forward, reaches out and just as quickly Ashley steps back, sort of pressing herself against the wall. And her eyes drop back to the floor. A frantic hand rises to stop Spencer in her place and Ashley's voice falters but is still so full of loathing. "Don't touch me."

Spencer pulls her hand back like she's been burned and she has. Ashley tells her that she can't stand to be this close to her right now, that she doesn't trust herself to hold a civil conversation with Spencer so they really shouldn't talk. Spencer just nods and tries not to look like she's breaking. She asks Ashley if she should sleep on the couch but her voice comes out soft and whiny. Ashley tells her that she doesn't have to, that she'll be spending the night in Rowan's room. She tells Spencer that he's the only reason she's still in this house.

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