A/N: I can't say that this is my favorite chapter, but I do think it was necessary to the story. Hopefully, you all enjoy it even though it's a little bit different than the rest of the story.

Thanks to June Sujare who has agreed to be my beta. With her help, I'm hoping to eliminate any typos that have been there in the past. I can't thank her enough!


Upon walking through the door, Wren knew things weren't as he had left them. For one, the sink was cleared, a pile of dishes from the night before drying in the rack. It could have been Spencer, but there were also other small things around which had been made more presentable. And as much as she liked to help, he couldn't see her cleaning the entire bottom floor of the place in his absence.

"Spencer?" he called, moving through the entryway to the living room. Once there, he saw the last thing he had ever expected to see. His mother, humming while she dusted around his bookshelf.

"She's upstairs, dear."

Floored. He was completely floored. There she was, going about cleaning like she was just tidying up his room when he came home from school one day. Only it was a decade later and she was supposed to be roughly 3500 miles away.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just putting things in order. You didn't listen to a thing I said to you about keeping a house before you moved out, did you?" She was acting like it was completely normal to be there. She hadn't even turned around to look at him.

Unable to think of something else to say, there was a period of silence before she turned around with a grin on her face. "Oh, I'm not serious. I went to visit Charlie and his wife. I told you she had a baby, didn't I? And I ended up staying longer than I planned so I decided to surprise you on my way back. We can fly home together now!"

He nodded, still trying to comprehend the fact that she was standing there, right in front of him. "Well, do I get a hug? I haven't seen my boy in ages and you just stand there staring at me."

With a start, he stepped forward, opening his arms and wrapping them around the older woman. It felt the exact same as it always had. Comforting and reminiscent of every time he had been upset as a child and she had pulled him into her embrace. "Oh, I've missed you so much," she said, squeezing him extra tight before letting go.

"Although, I never would have stopped by if I had known you had a girl here." As she leaned away, she gave him a look which made him realize that she knew exactly what he and Spencer had been up to. Not that she cared, he was sure. She was probably just relieved that he was seeing someone.

Instead of answering her, he took in her appearance. It reassured him to see that she hadn't aged since the last time he had seen her. Every time he went away, he always had an illogical fear that she would be different the next time they were together. But it was almost as if she looked younger than she had before. Her hair was still the same brunette color as his, her eyes the same bright brown. She was only 46, but she barely even looked like she had hit 40 yet.

"So tell me about her. She's very beautiful."

Wren slowly bobbed his head in agreement but kept silent. "You must really like her if you're acting so bashful about it. You're reminding me of when you had your first crush on a girl and I practically had to drag the details out of you one by one."

Shrugging his shoulders, he laughed. "I don't know what to say. It's a fairly recent development. We haven't told anyone yet."

"Really? You couldn't have a least called your dear mum and let her know there was a girl to talked about? You didn't have to give me any details about what you do or such."

What they did. That confirmed his suspicion that she knew exactly what it was that they did with each other. His eyes settled on the piano and he suddenly realized how true that was. She must have seen the note. That's why she was putting such an emphasis on it. He prayed that Spencer hadn't been naked when they met. Speaking of Spencer, he was a little worried that he had been home for a little bit and she still wasn't downstairs yet.

"Where is Spencer?"

"She said she went upstairs to get changed but then I heard the shower go on. So when did you meet her?"

That was a quick change of directions back to what she wanted to talk about. For a second, he debated telling her that he didn't particularly want to talk about it right then, but not at the expense of hurting her feelings. They had always been a pretty open family when it came to those kinds of things, and he didn't want to make her worry about him.

"Almost a year ago."

"How did you meet her?"

He froze. "A mutual…friend introduced us." That was stretching the truth. Like Melissa was a friend to either of them.

"And when did know there was something there?"

Another pause, this time slightly longer. "Pretty much from the day I met her. For the most part, we stayed away from one another in the beginning. It wasn't until May anything actually happened."

She nodded in understanding. "That's fine, dear. I don't want to poke at a sore spot, but it can be hard to get back into dating after a broken engagement."

Yet another thing he didn't want to talk about with his mother. He had glossed over the details of the entire ordeal. Of course, he had admitted to her that he had cheated on Melissa, although he hadn't told her with who. She had been very concerned when she heard. It really wasn't like him to be unfaithful and she must have realized that it had been extreme circumstances urging him to do it.

Then again, she had never really liked Melissa all that much, even though they had only met twice when his mother was there visiting. In truth, it had been his sister, whose name was Libby, who got along with Melissa the best. So when the news got out that they weren't getting married, he'd had one family member who was trying not to seem happy and one who was blatantly angry.

"I saw her bag over there with some schoolbooks. Is she taking class at the university?"

"Yeah. Just a couple college courses to get ahead in credits. She's very focused academically." That was technically true, as well.

"Sounds like someone I know," she answered warmly, her eyes wandering away to look around the room, and knowing her, searching for something else to clean.

"You know, you really don't have to clean up after me. I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself."

"But I like to do it. I don't have the chance very often and it makes me feel needed."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "You know you're always needed." Just then, he heard a door open from up the stairs and his eyes immediately looked to see Spencer walking down. Her eyes were somewhat wider than usual and a panicked look was edging in onto her face but he could tell she was trying to act normal.

"Hey."

"Hi," he answered. Stepping onto the floor, she came to stand next to him, but kept a distance between them. So much for meeting him naked at the door. He'd had plans to say goodbye to her properly before they left for the airport, too, but it looked like those ideas were gone now.

Wren watched as Spencer smiled at his mother. He could tell that she was nervous, but the older woman seemed oblivious to the fact. "Were you planning on giving Wren a ride?"

Spencer nodded. "Yeah." She cleared her throat. "Yeah. I have time before my class starts so I figured that would be easier than a cab or leaving the car at the airport."

"If we left now, we could stop on our way and get a bite to eat?" Wren asked hesitantly, hoping Spencer would be alright with the forced family time. When he caught her eye, she nodded slightly, signaling she was okay with it, but he still had his doubts. She was practically oozing awkwardness.

"That's a perfect idea. You're much too skinny anyway," his mother added. The last comment was aimed at Spencer, who smiled tightly. He knew that she hated when people said that to her. He'd seen her eat and he knew that it wasn't her fault she couldn't put on weight.

"I'd like that," she added softly.

Humming quietly to herself, Wren watched as his mother nodded happily and walked towards the kitchen. On the way, he saw her pause by the stairs, clearly fighting herself about going up there to clean. While she waited, he tried to remember the state of the bedroom. He'd opened the windows and lit a candle the night before. The room had begun to smell stale after they'd holed themselves up in there so much.

He quickly looked at Spencer and mouthed 'bed?" at her? She looked confused for second and then nodded. Hopefully she'd understood what he was saying and was agreeing that she had made the bed that morning. When he looked back over, his mother still hadn't moved.

"Mum, have you seen the upstairs since I moved in?"

"No, I haven't. Would you mind if I go see it now?"

"Not at all," he answered, staring at Spencer as the other woman ascended the stairs and disappeared.

As soon as it was silent, she was across the room and kissing him. At first, they were rough in their movements, only slowing down after it seemed that she had calmed down a little bit.

"I almost had a heart attack this morning when I came downstairs and she was here. Do you realize that I slept in your shirt last night? Thank god I put on underwear or else this could have been even worse."

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I had absolutely no idea she was going to be here. If it makes you feel better, I can tell she likes you."

"Really?" Spencer's expression was hopeful. "I've never met a guy's mother before. She doesn't know does she?" Wren didn't have to ask what she meant by her question.

"No. At least she shouldn't. I never told her the complete story so she really has no reason to be suspicious."

Spencer nodded, chewing the inside of her lip lightly as she smoothed her dress down. "I had plans for this morning." He could hear the disappointment in her voice.

"I know. I did too. But at least we had last night. And I won't really be gone for too long. I'll be back before you know it."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "Sure. The only thing I'm going to have to distract me is school. It's not even a heavy course load. You get to actually be entertained and be around people you want to be around."

His arms slipped around her waist, pulling her closer once again. Kissing her deeply, he tightened his arms. "I'll be sure to make it up to you when I get back."

"I expect nothing less."

They continued to kiss, and soon enough, Wren felt a shift in the atmosphere about them, their movements beginning to grope for one another and once again turning desperate. Out of nowhere, he froze. "We can't"

"I know, she panted, resting her forehead against his. "Your mom could be back any second."

"No. She'll be awhile yet. She went up there to clean. It's a thing she does. I just meant I can't do anything with her in the house. It feels disrespectful… Or something along those lines."

"I can see why. I feel the same way and she's not even my mother." Meeting his eyes, she smiled. "I see where you get your personality from now."

"People always say that," he murmured, brushing his lips over her ear gently before stepping back.

There was a brief moment where he could have sworn Spencer looked sad, instead of uncomfortable, but before he could say anything about it, the expression was gone. He could only imagine what went through her mind upon meeting his mother. She was warm and caring and extremely kind. She was also the exact opposite of Spencer's own mother, who although she loved her daughters, didn't know how to express it that well.

Changing the subject, he said, "You know, if you don't want to go to breakfast we don't have to. And if would rather not drive anymore I would understand."

"No! No. It's fine. I don't mind." She thought for a second and then looked at him with her forehead creased. "As long as you want me to that is. Because if you don't want me to, I wouldn't be offended."

Before she couldn't finish her sentence, he was shaking his head vehemently. "Of course I want to you go. It's just…" He trailed off, not wanted to freak her out. "It's just that she may have assumed we were actually together instead of…" Another unfinished sentence. He was going to have to start finishing his thoughts in his head before he started talking.

There was a moment when he thought she was going to change her mind and back out. But then she shrugged her shoulders and said, "It's okay. She doesn't have to know the truth. I would actually prefer it if she didn't. We can pretend for a couple of hours."

As she was talking, Wren felt his heart sink. She wanted to pretend, but he knew that it would be real on his end. So he forced himself to laugh and kiss her again like he didn't care about what she had just said. "Are you all packed?" she questioned.

"Yeah. I put the stuff I bought this morning in my bags out in the car. Now I guess I just have to put her stuff in the car too and then we can be on our way. If she ever finishes up there, that is."

Spencer smiled, glancing over her shoulder with the same semi-sad expression she had worn earlier, most likely thinking about the fact that the only thing her mother did around the house was pick up the phone to schedule the maid services. Melissa had told him that very early on in their relationship, and he still couldn't get past the fact that he would feel extremely violated if a stranger came to his house everyday and was able to poke through all of his belongings.

"I'm actually excited to spend time with your mom." She grinned devilishly. "Maybe I could even get her to tell me some embarrassing stories from when you were little."

"You probably could. She has quite the wide variety to choose from." Finally, Spencer was looking happier than she had all morning. Her face had lightened and he wasn't sure what had caused the sudden change but he was grateful for whatever it was.

Soon enough, he heard his mum on her way back downstairs. He would have expected her to take longer, but she must have only done what she thought absolutely had to be done. Before she got there, he held out his hand and grinned at Spencer. "Let's do this, shall we?"

Her only answer was a barely noticeable, "We shall," before she was turning to talk to his mother in a manner that had been absent before. From then on, he could only hope that things worked out between the two.


One week was not a long amount of time to spend with his family. There were cousins to catch up with, odd things around the house his mother asked him to fix, late night poker games to be played with old friends. And time passed relatively quickly. Except every once in awhile, no matter what he was doing, his mind would wander. Something someone did or said would remind him of Spencer, and then his mind would pulled into some memory of the two of them or he would begin wondering what she was doing at that very moment. Those thoughts only managed to pull him deeper into his thoughts.

Of course, he knew he had it bad. He had known that she had some sort of pull on him from the night she caught him smoking outside of her house. That pull had only intensified every time he had seen her. From when she ordered a vodka soda at dinner to how easily he was able to get her to open up at little bit about her family life the first night they kissed, he knew that what he felt for her was stronger than what he had ever felt for someone else.

That's why, the same night in her room, he hadn't been trying to take advantage of her or ruin things. He had simply forgotten about moving into the barn and being engaged and Melissa in general. Because when he was with Spencer, he just had a tendency to lose sight of anything else that was going on with him. Even though it had caused more problems than he could have foreseen, he didn't regret it. Not really. Because there was no way he would have been able live with Spencer as his sister-in-law. There was no doubt in his mind that something would have happened further down the line, wreaking even more havoc then he had in the first place.

There was a big crash from the kitchen downstairs and then an explosion of laughter. That particular night, his mother had invited every one over to celebrate Wren's birthday, as well as his last night there. He would be on a plane the next afternoon back to the states. Of course, he had just snuck away to the computer to check his email one last time.

All week, Spencer had been messaging him. She was surprisingly good at talking dirty online, something he hadn't suspected the first time he saw her name pop up in his inbox. He had a feeling it was because they hadn't talked or texted since the morning he left and she was getting anxious for his return. Of course, she hadn't said she missed him once. Only, 'I wish you were here' or 'I could really use you being naked next to me right now.' When he had first broken the news to her, she had said she would miss him. But since then, no sentiments along those lines had been expressed, a fact that seemed to have been on the forefront of his mind since he'd arrived.

Sure enough, there was one new message in his inbox.

Wren,

I'll be at the airport at 4:30 tomorrow. Don't wear anything that's hard to take off. I can't wait to see you.

-Spencer

He had learned that along with not being able to say 'I miss you,' she was also quite the succinct typer when she wanted to be. The only time she sent more than three sentence emails was late at night when they got into the more explicit conversations. He couldn't help but grin when he remembered the first night he had been gone.

Flashback

Setting his bags down in his old room, he was a little bit surprised that his room was exactly the way he had left it the last time he had visited. And the time before that. And the time before that. Part of him had expected his mother to turn it into a craft room or something of that nature when he had announced he would be going to the States for med school. Even his old computer was still on his desk in the computer.

Sitting down on the wooden chair, he rocked onto the back legs like he had done so many times when he used to live here. Every time his mother had walked by the door and seen him, she would yell at him to put all four back on the floor before he cracked his skull open. Mothers.

Pulling out his laptop, he quickly turned it on and connected it to the wi-fi with the password his sister had given him. Their flight had left at 11:15 that morning, making it almost 8:15 when they touched down in England that night. In America anyway. In reality, it was about 3:15 AM in his home country upon arrival. And he had slept on the plane so he was sure to be up awhile longer. That would make for one hell of a jet lag the next day. Bu still, that meant Spencer was still awake.

Going into his messages, he quickly composed an email.

Spencer,

Just got in. The flight was long but I slept through most of it, as did mum. Although, she did take two PM's before we took off. I'm glad to be here but I'm also wishing I could be with you tonight.

- Wren

For a second, he had debated saying that he missed her. But then his mind lingered on her aversion to the phrase when he had been getting ready to go. Not once had she been able to say that she was going to miss him. And there was no way he was going to take a chance on ruining things by saying it and freaking her out. She had enough commitment and attachment issues as it was. Her reply popped up on screen.

I'm glad you got there okay. I wish I could talk to you though. Or at least text you. Do you have plans for tomorrow?

Wren shifted back in his chair, smiling sadly at her answer. If only international calling and texting weren't such a rip off. It was a feature that he had with his phone, since he wanted to be able to call home and text his sister whenever he wanted, but Spencer didn't want it showing up on her family's phone bill. Who else would she be calling in England?

Most likely sleeping until a horrendous hour because of the time difference and then spending the afternoon and evening with my family. How were your classes today?

Only minutes later, her answer came.

They were good. I'm glad to have something to distract me even though I wasn't really able to concentrate anyway. At least I'll have schoolwork to spend time on while you're gone.

She was the only person in the entire world who actually enjoyed homework

You're a bit of a swot, aren't you?

Wren took a drink of water. At least if they couldn't talk or text, they'd found a semi-easy way to keep communicating.

I don't know what that means, but I'm taking it offensively.

He grinned. Usually it was meant as a slightly derogatory expression, but he had known she probably never heard it before, making it the perfect thing to call her.

I meant no offense. I was simply stating the facts. Maybe I should have said that you're a bit of a nerd instead.

That he knew she would understand.

Like I've never heard that before. You should hear the things Hanna has said because of my studying habits.

Only a few days after they had met on the playground, Spencer had begun talking about her friends like he had met them all personally. This was something that he enjoyed immensely. It made him feel like he was part of her real life, not just some secret she had shoved in the back of her closet. The only downfall to it was that every time she brought one of them up, he hoped that she would ask him to meet them. But she never did. Not yet anyway.

I would very much like to hear them.

The next answer made him grin.

Well, patience is a virtue. I'm sure they'll tell you everything you'd want to know about me when you meet them.

When. Not if, or maybe, but when. When he met them. Which meant she was actually planning on introducing him to them. Which also meant that she was going to tell them what was going on between them. He knew it most likely wouldn't be anytime soon, but at least she had some sort of future for them in her mind.

Before he had a chance to answer, another message popped up in his inbox.

Do you remember what you wanted me to work on last night?

Wren grinned at her question, a memory of her hand gliding over her body sliding into his head. Like he could forget.

Of course I do.

A second later, her response popped up as he was taking a drink.

I'm about to practice.

Wren nearly spit water all over his keyboard. Her blunt brevity left him more than a little stunned. And uncomfortably turned on. He shifted awkwardly in his seat, remembering that his mom and sister were both sleeping down the hall from him. Not only that, but he was in his childhood home, where he'd lived from the time he was born until the time he graduated from Oxford and moved to the states. It was also bordering on being so late that it was actually early, and if he had any hope of beating the jet lag, he should have just gone to bed and told Spencer the next day that he had accidentally fallen asleep.

So naturally, he answered her.

Really? And what are you wearing?

Her answer came almost instantly.

Your green plaid shirt.

The one that had the third button from the top missing because of her impatience to get it off of him once. He could picture it instantly. Coming to think about it, he couldn't remember the last time he had seen it. And that wasn't the only clothing of his that was missing. There was also two t-shirts and a pair of boxers. He'd suspected for quite a bit that she had slowly been pilfering his clothes, but that was the first actual proof she had given him. Not that he could really object to it. Just the thought of her laying on her bed, shirt gaping over and her fingers slowly working their way over her own body…

He shook his head. She was doing this to him intentionally.

Is that all?

The next answer didn't come as swiftly as the earlier ones. When it finally did pop up in his inbox, his eyes widened. There was an attachment. She sent him a bloody naked picture. He hoped anyway.

Upon opening it, he couldn't help being a tad disappointed. Granted, just the sight of her made his heart race, especially combined with the fact that she was indeed only wearing his shirt. But he had been hoping that she would be completely sans clothes.

Instead, she was standing in front of her full length mirror. The picture itself was utterly Spencer. He could only imagine what other girls would look like in pictures they sent to their boyfriends. He'd always found the idea a little garish, with girls fishing for compliments from guys. But with Spencer, she managed to look sexy and sultry, but innocent at the same time.

She was biting her lip with a barely there smile. Her hand was crossed across her stomach to latch onto her other elbow, her unending legs only covered at the very top by his shirt. From the way she was standing, he could barely make out the fact that when she said she was only wearing that one thing, she wasn't lying. Her bare hip, which was just visible, brought him to the conclusion that she wasn't even wearing underwear. He could also assume that there wasn't a bra underneath that shirt.

After carefully inspecting the picture, he leaned back in his chair. tilting on the two back legs again as he rubbed his eyes and sighed.

You have my full permission to take whatever you want from my closet. I'm positive you would wear anything in there much better than I could. Do you plan on leaving it on all night?

From outside his room, he heard a door open, and then a second one close. Libby was probably going to the bathroom. His legs jiggled up and down restlessly as he waited for Spencer's answer. He even turned on the volume of his computer so he wouldn't miss it when it came.

Just as he heard the tell tale ding of his email, he also heard a faint knock on his door. Libby. He turned around anxiously, unsure about what he wanted to do. Finally, he sighed again, closing the picture so she wouldn't be able to see it.

"Yes?"

The door opened slowly as she poked her head around it. "Hey." Her brown eyes looked sleepy, for a second reminding him of the way Spencer looked when she woke her up. Shaking the thought out of his head, he stood up and wrapped his arms around the younger girl as she walked further into the room.

As soon as he stepped away from her, he analyzed her for a second. She looked older. Her hair had gradually been getting lighter and lighter over the years, and she had finally reached a point where it was almost platinum blond. Not that she couldn't pull it off. Any look suited her. Underneath her black shorts and cut up t-shirt, she was tan, which was her usual in the summer.

"I saw your light was still on and figured I'd pop in to see you. I'm so glad you're home. I've missed you."

He nodded eagerly. "I know. What happened to you?" he asked teasingly. "You grew up while I was gone."

Libby rolled her eyes. "I grew up before you had gone. You just never wanted to admit it."

Wren laughed. Growing up, they had always been very close but when he'd moved to the States, they'd started to talk less and less, especially after breaking things off with Melissa. She and Libby had started talking online right after Wren and Melissa had started dating, and his sister had taken to her immediately. He couldn't help but think that was because Libby had never met the older girl in person.

"So Mum tells me you've got a girlfriend."

She wasn't wasting any time. Wren laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. His mother and her mouth. He could have sworn he's asked her not to tell anyone. Although knowing her, she didn't think his sister was counted in that equation.

"It's not…It's not really like that."

"Yeah, she also mentioned that she walked in on her just wearing your shirt. So she's more of a fuck buddy than a girlfriend, then?"

He was caught off guard by her harsh judgement. She had never talked to him that way when they were younger either. "It's not really like that either."

"Then what is it like?" His eyes flickered back to his computer screen, where there was a new message waiting to be opened. What was it like?

"It's…complicated."

For a moment, Libby just stared at him. "It shouldn't be complicated. Simple is always better. Isn't complicated what got you into that mess with Melissa last time?"

Again, he was floored. Since when had his sister begun giving him dating advice? He tried to look like he was thinking, but he knew she could see through him. He had no real answer. Having a complicated situation is what had gotten him into the mess with Melissa. But the complication itself was Spencer and now that they were together, if not in any conventional or official way, that should have uncomplicated the situation immensely. But it hadn't.

"Are you two together or not?"

"We are… sort of. But not really." Libby looked confused.

"So you're basically just sleeping with her?"

"No! It's more than that. I have feelings for her. I have practically since I met her. But she's had a very trying year and she just isn't ready to be in a relationship." There was a spot in his mind that worried that she never would. Not with him anyway.

"So what you're actually saying is that she just got out of a relationship that she didn't really want to be out of and now you're letting her use you as a rebound."

That sentence made him stop. For all intensive purposes, it was true. But only when taking the situation out of context. He sighed deeply, wanting desperately to make Libby understand, to make her less critical about the situation.

"She went through some things. Some pretty nasty things. Among which was her boyfriend breaking up with her. At that point, we were more friends than anything and I wanted to help her through it. One thing led to another and…"

"But you fancy her?"

Wren shrugged. Yes. Of course he did. How could he not? "Maybe. I don't know. It's complicated." There was that word again. He didn't like lying to his sister, but he could see that she was too skeptical at that point to even try and understand what he was saying.

Libby didn't answer right away. Instead, she continued to stare at him in her normal way that made him feel like she was looking into his soul. "Are you happy with that?"

"Of course I am. Being with her makes me happy, even if we're not technically together. And I don't want to pressure her into anything or rush her into being ready. She'll figure it out on her own time."

"Hopefully," Libby snorted, which only earned her a glare from Wren. "How long had it been going on?"

"Not too long. Only about two months."

"And what's her name?" Wren froze. He couldn't give his sister a fake name; their mom might bring it up at some point. But he was also nervous that Melissa had mentioned that she had a sister named Spencer and that very sister had broken her and Wren up. It was a fairly uncommon name for a girl, and he was sure his sister would recognize it right away if she knew the true story.

"Spencer." He cleared his throat. "Her name is Spencer."

He held his breath as he waited for her reaction. Her forehead wrinkled as she looked at him, and for a scary second, he was sure that he had been busted. "Isn't that a boy's name?"

Wren simultaneously laughed and breathed out a sigh of relief. "Can I see a picture of her?"

Right away, his eyes shot to his computer and then back to Libby's face. As much as he wanted to talk to her and catch up on everything he had missed since he'd been gone, right then he just wanted her to go back to bed. Because if he didn't answer Spencer soon, he knew she would assume he had gone to sleep.

At the same time, he realized that besides the slightly dirty one she had just sent him, he had absolutely no pictures of Spencer. Not on his phone or his computer or his camera. For some reason, that thought scared him and he made a promise to himself that once he got back he would do something to change it.

"I, I don't have any." He finally answered her.

Another pause in the conversation. Libby was trying to figure him out, he was sure of it. She'd been trying to figure things out ever since she was a little girl, her curiosity often getting annoying to people as they grew up. It had never bothered him when he was younger, though; he'd liked the interest she showed him. But when she was trying to classify his love life, it quickly became tiresome.

He faked a yawn, again glancing at his computer and hoping she would get the hint. Of course, Libby being herself, she wouldn't let it go until she was good and ready to.

"So is she good?"

"I'm sorry. What?"

Libby had lost the tired look in her eyes and it was replaced with a mischievous air of innocence. It was the same look he had seen on her face every time she had lied about doing something wrong when they were kids.

"I mean, if you've been sleeping with her for two months, she must be good. Or you must be desperate."

The teasing remark barely registered with him as he realized that his younger sister was asking him about his sex life. "So, which one is it?" she added when he still didn't answer.

"I really don't think that's any of your business."

"You're my brother. I just want to make you're satisfied. With your life."

In that moment, he understood how Spencer had such a hard time not blushing in the beginning. He could feel the blood rushing to his face as he looked away. Now she was asking him about his sexual satisfaction. There was no way things could get more awkward.

"Is she into weird shit in bed or something? Is that why you won't talk about it?" Her eyes widened. "Or are you?"

"No! It's not like that at all! It's just an odd thing for me to be discussing with my little sister. Or anyone at all, really. Mum and you are the only ones who actually know about her."

Libby's eyebrows shot up, probably in disbelief. "Why?'

"Why what?"

"Why did you decide to keep it a secret?"

Wren paused, thinking about how much he could tell her. Their story, told in the wrong manner, would sound utterly wrong, and make him seem more than a touch desperate like she had said. But that's not how it actually was. He knew that and he was pretty sure Spencer knew that but he wasn't sure how to make his sister understand it.

"We have quite a bit of history. We actually met at the end of last summer. But it wasn't until this year that something actually came of it. And there are people who wouldn't be too happy upon hearing about the two of us." Like her entire family. And Toby. And probably all of her friends. And the population of the world.

Surprisingly, she didn't ask him why it was that people wouldn't want them to be together. "Is she pretty?"

Wren nodded instantly. "Stunning."

"And what's she like."

"She's…extremely driven. And kind. And funny. She has this intensity about her and a tendency to catch me off guard every time I think I finally know her."

For the first time, Libby looked surprised. Maybe at his quick response or maybe at the absolute finality that he spoke with. Either way, it wasn't very long after that she got a resigned look about her.

"Then I'm happy for you. And I'm also very tired. I'm sure you are too. I'll see you in the morning?"

He nodded, crossing the room and kissing her forehead briefly, like he had whenever she'd had a bad nightmare but didn't want to wake their mother. She smiled slightly and turned around to walk out the door.

"I have to meet her. Figure out if she really is that amazing or you're just blinded by love."

Blinded by love. The expression ricocheted around inside of his head even after she had closed the door behind her. Blinded by love. Was he? He knew that he had feelings for her. Strong, deep rooted feelings that rivaled anything he had ever felt before. He also knew that those feelings were stronger than any he had ever had for Melissa, and he had claimed to be in love with the older girl. Did that mean he was in love with Spencer?

Before he could think on it anymore, his eyes fell on the two unread emails waiting for him in his inbox. He clicked on the oldest one to see only one short line written.

It's already off.

He grinned as he remembered asking her how long she planned on wearing his shirt and then went on to the second message.

I'm going to assume that since you haven't gotten back to me yet, you fell asleep. In which case, you should know that you missed out on what could have been some pretty awesome cyber sex. Instead, I'm probably just going to go to bed, alone, and then figure out what to do with myself while you're gone when I wake up tomorrow. I hope you have an amazing time at home. Tell your mom I said 'hi.'

As soon as he had finished reading, a third email arrived.

Also, my mission was successful. But only because I thought of you the entire time.

Her mission. The phrase made him smile. She talked about it like it was something that had to be carefully planned out and then enacted. Which, with her, it probably had been.

It was nearing five in the morning as he looked at his computer screen which meant it was almost ten where she was. It wasn't unlike her to go to bed at that time, especially after a night like they had had and how long her day had been. Finally, he was beginning to feel a traveler's fatigue set in even though he desperately wanted to answer her.

The faded blue comforter on his bed was beginning to call to him. It had been so long since he'd stayed there that he had forgotten what his bed felt like, but he honestly would have slept on a pile of rocks at the moment. Before getting up to get changed, he decided to email her back.

I did not, in fact, fall asleep. I was simply talking to my sister. I really hope that you're sleeping naked. Even if you're not, lie to me so I have a good mental image to wake up to. I'm glad that your endeavors were successful, but don't forget who that job actually belongs to when I return. I'm actually going to go to bed now. I'll be sure to check in tomorrow. Goodnight Spencer.

As soon as he had hit the send button, he was climbing out of his chair, pulling off his shirt and shorts and crashing onto the bed in only his boxers. He didn't even bother to get under the covers.

End flashback

"Big brother!" Libby busted through his door, breaking him from his thoughts and making him jump. Her face was flushed and her hair was thrown up into a messy ponytail, but once again, Wren was struck by how grown up she looked.

"So let me get this straight. You're missing your going away dinner/birthday celebration so you can sit in your room by yourself and pine after some girl?"

Wren laughed and shook his head. All week, any opportunity she had to bring up Spencer, she would. "I'm not pining. I just wanted to make sure she was still able to meet me when my flight gets in tomorrow."

"I'm sure she is. From what you've told me about her, she would never forget to be somewhere. I can't believe you're ignoring us even though you don't know the next time we'll all get a chance to be together when you're going to see your girlfriend tomorrow."

"She's not my girlfriend," he muttered. "And I'm coming down now. Give me one second."

When he realized that Libby was going to stay put until he was ready to go with her, he turned back to the computer.

Spencer,

You have no idea how much I need to see you. If everything goes as planned tomorrow, I'll see you around 4:30. I'll text you as soon as possible.

Wren

He shut his computer quickly, pushing it back on his desk and standing to meet his sister. But instead of turning to go downstairs with him, she stayed where she was and stared at him.

"What?"

Leaning against his bedroom door, she said, "You're head over bloody heels for her, aren't you?" Interrupting him as he tried to disagree, she continued, "You had better tell her before she gets bored and her attention starts to wander."

"That's not going to happen," he said quietly.

"And if it does?"

His mind through flew through the possibilities is that actually were to happen as he stood awkwardly in the middle of his room. "I don't know. I would live."

"You'd be a pathetic lost mess. I can already tell this is different than any of your other girlfriends."

"She's not my-"

Libby cut him off. "She's not your girlfriend. I know. Whatever. But she is."

"No, she's really not."

"Okay, let me ask you this. If she really is just some girl you have sex with, what do you do when you're together?"

"Um…"

Rolling her eyes, she clarified, "Besides the obvious. I bet you're already breaking every rule there is. Mum already told me that she was there in the morning. And everyone knows the first rule of having a fuck buddy is no sleepovers. Do you do work together?"

Resigned to the fact that she wasn't going to give up until she made her point, he sighed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, she's taking courses now, right? Does she do schoolwork at your house?"

When he didn't answer right away, she nodded. "That's a yes. Have you met her family?"

Had he ever. "Yes, but that was before anything happened between us."

"Doesn't matter. Still counts. Now, what do you talk about when you're together?"

"Things?"

"Things?" Wren was getting sick of Libby rolling her eyes at everything he said. It reminded him of her angsty teenage phase which had made him not want to come home to visit at all while he was away at university. Thankfully, she had gotten over it, but it seemed to be making a reappearance.

"What things? Is it all about the sex part of things or do you talk about other stuff. You know, family problems, friend drama, feelings?"

That was an astounding yes. He couldn't remember a time when they had been together and not talked about something that was going on. That only proved her point even more.

"Do you see what I'm getting at here?"

Shaking his head, he leaned back onto his desk. "I do. And I know what you're trying to do. But Spencer and I aren't conventional. We never were. And I'm not willing to risk the way things are now just because I want more. She has to be the one to make that decision."

The look on Libby's face was bewildered. "How can you be so sure that she will?"

This was getting ridiculous. Hadn't she come to bring him down to the party? How had that turned into an inquisition that he couldn't escape?

"I can't. But even if she never does, it won't matter. I want her to be happy. I just have this, this…I can't even explain it." He ran his fingers through his hair. "It's like from the moment I met her, I just wanted her to be okay. And if that means we're not together, then we won't be. I care about her too much to try and push anything on her. Not that she would let me, anyway."

Libby's face had softened slightly. More compliant that she had been before, she started talking again. "If that's how you feel and that's what you want to do, then there's obviously nothing I can do to change your mind. But can you just answer one more question?"

What other question could she possibly have? Her endless curiosity was another thing he had almost forgotten about. "What is it?"

"Is she the reason things ended between you and Melissa?"

Wren stilled. Where was she going with that? Granted she could have asked it in a much more harsh way if she knew the truth. Is she the girl you cheated on Melissa with? Was she the one you seduced in her bedroom even though you were already engaged to someone else? How old was she the first time you kissed her? Twelve?

"Well, it was my fault. But yes, she's the girl."

Libby nodded, an unreadable expression on her face. "She must be something then. I really have to meet her sometime."

That was the second time she had mentioned that she was willing to meet Spencer. The fact made Wren both relieved and nervous. Libby never would have said that if she had completely written Spencer off. But at the thought of Libby putting Spencer through the same game of twenty questions he had endured, he grew uneasy. He wasn't even sure the brunette would be willing to answer any of them, a fact that would only make Libby suspicious. And now that his sister knew how he really felt about Spencer, he wouldn't put it past her to accidentally let it slip. Which would only freak her out.

It was idiotic to be worrying about the two of them meeting. It wasn't like Libby was planning a visit anytime in the near future and he was positive that Spencer wasn't planning on going anywhere near the UK at that time. So for awhile, at least, he was safe.

"Come on, then. You're being a freak by hiding out up here. And you know how mum hates it when we don't entertain our guests. She rolled her eyes and instantly, Wren was back to feeling like things were normal between them again. No more talk of love lives or anything else along those lines. They were simply siblings at a family party, intent upon teasing their mother like they always had and teaming up to beat their cousins at whatever game they were going to play that night.

The next day, he would board a flight and go back to the place that had somehow turned into his home without him realizing it. Spencer would meet him at the airport and drive him home and they would spend the entire night having welcome home sex. She would have no idea the revelations that Libby had brought out in his mind. She would also have no idea how deep his feelings ran. And he wouldn't care.

He would let thing go back to their version of normal. Eventually, something would happen that would change her perspective of the situation. Either she would end things or want more than he did. It could be days or weeks or months away, but Libby had help him realize that there was no way they could go on forever like they had been. In the end, he could only hope that she chose to be with him.


A/N: So for some reason, every time I write a new chapter I think that it's going to be shorter than the previous one. Then I see the word count and realize how long it actually its. Apparently, I'm starting to not notice how long winded I can be sometimes.

On a different note, thanks to everyone who is reading this story. It means so much to know that people enjoy it and there's someone other than me who actually wants Wren and Spencer to happen in the show. I would really love to hear all of your feedback on what you liked, didn't liked, thought was funny, etc. So make sure to review so I can get the next chapter out as quickly as possible! Thanks again!