Spencer Pov

It took Spencer several minutes to find the room Ashley Had so casually called a 'living room', but it turned out it could be more accurately described as a theater.

It was massive, with black and red accents. The red and charcoal flecked carpet led to two rows of red cushioned theater seats facing the far wall. A large projection screen hung on the wall, empty and waiting for a screening. She found a rack with several remote controls of various sizes and colors, but Spencer had no idea even where to begin.

She wasn't even sure she could figure out how to turn the thing on. A dim light was shining through a set of doors, and she walked closer, curious. Pushing open the door, she stumbled inside as it opened easier than she had anticipated. Spencer gaped open mouth at the rows of bookshelves that reached all the way to the ceiling. They were completely packed with books of all different shapes and sizes.

Spencer felt like she had just walked into a fairy tale as she swiped her hand over the bindings, some embossed or gilded with gold leaf. It mimicked the gold details strewn throughout the room. Gold sconces, shelves with a matching pair of gold lions. She felt comfortable assuming that they were the real thing, not just gold plated. She walked closer to another low shelf, intrigued by the small grouping of gilded frames.

They were pictures of Ashley holding a baby girl, waddled in a fluffy pink blanket. The look in her eyes reflected pure love and adoration as she looked down into her tiny face. The other photos were all of Maylis at different ages, a birthday party, a father-daughter dance. It was obvious this woman loved her daughter more than anything else in her life. She couldn't understand Madison. If Spencer had a beautiful daughter, and a beautiful , loving wife like Ashley, she didn't think she would ever ask for anything else.

She had to stop that train of thought suddenly and sternly. It had caused a nostalgic ache to begin in her chest that she really didn't want to examine too closely. "I remember that day." Ashley's voice had her jumping guiltily as she spoke directly behind her left shoulder. She almost dropped the glass frame she was holding, one of Maylis smiling up at her mother with a big birthday cake with the number 'seven' written in pink icing.

"It was her birthday, and all she wanted was a puppy. I spent a year hearing her beg me over and over for a puppy." Ashley chuckled, the look in her eyes distant and nostalgic, like she was thinking of something long gone. "Did you get it for her?" Ashley shook her head sadly. "No, I never did. Madison hated animals, when I brought up the subject she, well she started screaming.

Maylis was there, I didn't realize." She glanced up at her under dark, furrowed brows. "Maylis heard it all. When I found her later in her room, she was crying. She told me she never wanted a dog, not if it made her mommy so sad." "It wasn't really about a dog, was it?" "No, Madison just couldn't stand it when I wanted to get anything for Maylis. She just can't think of anything beyond herself." "Ashley , she was seven. She didn't really understand." "I know, but it was still hard for her, thinking it was her fault for her mother's outburst."

Spencer reached out, unthinking, and twined her fingers around Ashley' only thought was to give her some measure of comfort, take away the bleak look in her brown eyes. Ashley looked down at their clasped hands for a moment, and then up at her. A very different expression burned in their emerald depths. Something darkly sensual, almost predatory. It made her breath catch as renewed heat flooded her being.

Ashley took a step forward, and a wave of heavy longing swept over her. She could feel her eyes begin to close in surrender when the frame slipped from her other hand, startling them both. Spencer took a hasty step back, picking up the frame. Thankfully it was unbroken, and she put it back in its rightful space on the shelf nestled next to the other memories.

She glanced around, suddenly unsure of what to do with her now empty hands. Her voice came out shakier than she would have liked when she spoke. "We should probably get going." Ashley gave a barely audible sigh, but nodded. "Yeah, okay. Let's go