I am so sorry about the hiatus; finals fried my brains more than usual. This is a little longer than normal, so hopefully you can forgive me. I own nothing, including The Planet which belongs to Ilene Chaikin.

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Spencer stares intently at the shelf full of DVDs. There is a small stack in her hand already, and the other customers are looking at her like she needs to get a life. Luckily for the blonde, she could care less what everyone else thought, all she cared about is finding movies that Ashley would like and cheer her up. It has been two days since TLR and her best friend is still upset. Apparently Ethan told her they need to let things die down before trying anything new, and burgeoning rock star took that to mean her dream was dying. So Spencer took it upon herself to make things better.

Finally satisfied with the selection, she walks to the counter and pulls out her wallet. It had been difficult picking out movies when she couldn't remember them, so she had to rely on the synopses of the backs. 10 Things I Hate About You, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Can't Hardly Wait, Clueless, D.E.B.S., Grosse Point Blank, and PCU were what she settled on. She threw in a couple of bags of popcorn and M&Ms and called it a night.

*******************************************

Ashley lies on the couch, glaring at Kyla. She couldn't form the words in her head to describe how pissed off she feels. Not only did her sister lip sync on national television, but it wasn't even her voice. Turns out, the bastard Jake got some other chick to record the song and slapped Kyla's name on it. She had never thought she would be capable of murder, but then again until now she had not been tested. Kyla obviously realized that her life was in danger, because she stood and said she was going to the store. Ashley didn't say anything; just let her cold eyes continue to burn holes into the other girl.

Once Kyla was gone she placed a pillow over her mouth and screamed as loud as she could. It helped, but barely. Her angry thoughts were interrupted by a loud knocking and she slowly got to her feet, ready to yell at whoever was on the other side if need be. But it wasn't the paparazzi with a camera ready to go; it was a certain blonde that never failed to take her breath away.

"I thought you and I could have a movie night," Spencer says with a tilt of her head.

Ashley permits the blonde entrance and smiles slightly. She wants to hold on to her anger, but one look from those blue-eyes and all other thoughts lose significance. She follows the blonde into the loft, unable to keep her eyes from wondering down her body.

"So what did you bring over?"

Spencer sits on the couch and pulls out the movies. "Does Blockbuster have any movies left?"

Spencer pouts, "I don't remember what you like, so I had to bring a variety in the hopes of getting at least one acceptable film."

Ashley smiles genuinely, "Thank you." She looks over the movies and furrows her brow.

"What, do you not like any of them?" Spencer asks worried.

"No," Ashley rushes, "it isn't that. It's the opposite actually. These are some of our favorites."

"Really?" Spencer asks with excitement.

The brunette nods her head, "Really. And today is a good day for D.E.B.S.; I am in desperate need for a good laugh. And I can always look at Jordana Brewster."

Spencer pretends to be offended, "What, is looking at me not good enough for you?"

Ashley's face turns serious and she holds the blue-eyes with her own, "You're beautiful Of course you are good enough." She slowly reaches a hand out and tucks blonde hair behind Spencer's ear, "And in all honesty you are too good for me."

Spencer blushes and ducks her head. When she looks back up she immediately locks gazes with Ashley, who subconsciously licks her lips. Spencer finds herself leaning in closer, eyes never leaving the chocolate ones. Ashley leans in too, not daring to breath. They are millimeters apart, eyes still wide open, and both freeze. Ashley is scared to make the first move, scared to push Spencer into something she isn't ready for, but the strain of refraining is nearly unbearable. Swiftly Spencer stands and backs away.

"Spencer, what's wrong?" Ashley tries not to let the disappointment into her voice.

"I can't…I want to so bad, but I can't."

"Why not, why can't you kiss me?"

Spencer looks away and collects her thoughts. When she turns back her resolve is set, "I can't because I don't know why we broke up. I want to kiss you so much it hurts. Judging by what I am feeling now and what I've pieced together, I was completely and totally in love with you. And you obviously loved me too."

"Love, I never stopped," Ashley corrects quietly.

"See, that's my point. What happened? Only something major, catastrophic, could have broken us up. I don't want to give in and kiss you only to get my memory back and regret it."

Ashley stands up and gets close to the blonde, fear coursing through her veins, "I don't want to tell you what happened. And it is not because I don't want you to know. I don't want to tell you because I don't want to relive it. I don't want to tell you because I'm scared you will leave. And most of all I don't want to tell you because it isn't enough. Knowing the facts and events isn't enough. We went through so much together, good and bad, and I can't explain how it felt. Giving you the Cliff Notes isn't going to help you understand, and I'm scared that's what will make you leave right now."

Spencer gives a frustrated sigh and runs a hand through her hair, "I didn't plan on today becoming so heavy. I just wanted to come over and watch a few movies with you so you felt better."

Ashley took a difficult step back, "So that's what we'll do. Pop in the disk, I'll make popcorn, and we'll act as if this never happened."

Spencer could hear the desperation in her best friend's voice and knew she couldn't say no. So she nods her head and walks over to the stack of DVDs and grabs the first one. She hears Ashley let out a sigh of relief before walking into the kitchen.

Ashley watched the popcorn bag closely, not daring to look at the object of her desires. She knew that Spencer deserved to know what happened between them, the reason that they broke up. But for that to be taken into full context she would need to tell their entire story. And how could she make Spencer understand how deep their love for each other went? How could she describe the way they danced around each other for months before admitting how they really felt? How could she explain in words why they ran away together? Or why Spencer felt threatened by Aiden in the first place? She didn't know how, and she is so scared that could destroy any hopes for them in the future, especially if Spencer's memory took much longer to return.

They sat on opposite ends of the couch as the opening credits start, the first uncomfortable silence since the accident. But as the movie progresses and they share laughs, they start to relax. By the end things seem to be normalizing, and Ashley pops in the next movie, PCU. By the time this one is done they have maneuvered to be right next to each other. In all honest Spencer is feeling pretty drained and leans back as the credits roll. She turns her head to see Ashley looking at her.

"What?"
"You look tired," Ashley says softly.

"Yeah, I haven't been sleeping the best. But I don't want to stop the marathon. Pop in the next movie, I promise I will stay awake."

"Ok," Ashley says just as softly and leaves to place Grosse Point Blank in. When she returns to the couch she sits close to the blonde and resists the urge to offer her lap as a pillow. About thirty minutes in Spencer's head drops onto Ashley's shoulder, and the older girl sighs at the contact. She is unable to focus on the movie, instead choosing to close her eyes and enjoy the moment.

Ashley yawns and opens her eyes to blonde hair. It takes a minute for her brain to register what is going on. When it does she realizes that she too fell asleep, and is currently tangled up with her love. Her arms are wrapped around Spencer, who is laying half on top of her, and can't resist tightening her grip. The movement however causes the blonde to stir. Soon brown meets blue and Ashley feels the familiar electricity course through her body. She lifts her head up, no longer in control, and softly brushes her lips against Spencer's. She pulls back when Spencer stiffens and curses her lapse in restraint.

She doesn't fight when Spencer hurriedly gets off her. She doesn't say anything as the blonde gathers her things. She doesn't get up as her forever walks out the door.

When she hears the door shut she buries her head in her hands, "Fuck."

Spencer is standing outside Ashley's loft, her thoughts going a mile a minute. But she doesn't want that. She doesn't want to think about how right it felt to wake up in Ashley's arms. She doesn't want to think about how badly she needs to understand what happened between them to tear them apart. So she pulls out her phone and dials a number that carries no expectations.

"Riley?"

"Hey Spencer, what's up?"

Spencer says the first thing that comes to her mind, "Would you like to get a coffee with me right now?"

There is a pause on the line that makes Spencer wonder, "I would love to. Where are you at, I can come pick you up and take you to my favorite coffee spot in L.A."

Spencer gives the address and hangs up after the promise of not having to wait more than twenty minutes. She sits on the steps and tries to find something to occupy her thoughts. She watches the people walking by and wonders if their lives are as dramatic as hers. A family walks by drawing her thoughts to her own. After the little episode on her birthday her grandmother left. She spent the night in a hotel and caught the first flight back to Ohio in the morning. Spencer knew it upset her mother a lot, and was sure that if she could remember her love for her grandmother it would hurt her more. And that's what everything kept coming back to. She couldn't remember her love for people.

"Hey there, need a ride?"

Spencer looks up to see Riley leaning out a car window with a smile. Spencer doesn't say anything, just gets up and walks across the street. She doesn't look back, and maybe if she had she would have seen the brunette in the window watching.

"The Planet? I've never heard of this place," Spencer says as they enter the café.

"Well, it isn't exactly near your neighborhood. This place has some of the best coffee during the day, one of my favorite social scenes at night, and always full of beautiful women," Riley says with a wink.

"Riley!" she says aghast, "Did you take me to a gay café?"

Riley laughs and approaches the counter, "I would like a Chai Tea, and my friend will have a …?"

"Mocha with whip," Spencer supplies, reaching for her wallet.

"Don't you dare, this is my treat."

"Riley, that isn't necessary," Spencer protests, nervous this is being viewed as a date.

Riley looks at the blonde while handing over her debit card, "Yes it is. You obviously are stressed about something, and providing you with caffeine may be the only thing I can do to make you feel better. Now, where do you want to sit?"

"How about outside?"

"Sounds good to me." The two walk onto the patio and take the only empty table. "So, do you want to talk about it, or is this one of those 'talk about something else so I can sort my thoughts on my own' times?"

Spencer smiles, glad that she decided to call Riley, "For now why don't you tell me a little bit more about you, and college life."

"Can do. Umm, mostly I like college. I'm a little further away from my parents than I would like, but it happens."

"That's right; you said you are from Iowa, right?"

"Yep, land of the corn. I kind of miss it. Well, no, I miss my family and friends sometimes, I don't miss the weather one bit. I came to the conclusion that Iowa really only has two seasons, Cold and Hot, with some rain thrown in for good measure."

Spencer giggles, "How did you find this place?"

Riley grins sheepishly, "Honestly, I did a Google search for lesbian spots."

"Aren't there girls on campus?"

"Sure, but I can be lazy and didn't want to put that much effort into my gaydar. It is much easier to just go where we congregate in large numbers."

"That is too funny, and I like your honesty," Spencer laughs.

"I'm glad you approve. And I like to think it worked out, since I really do like this place."

As their drinks are set before them Spencer cocks her head and raises an eyebrow, "So does this mean that you volunteered at Pride just so you could meet girls?"

"Something like that. And once again I say I think it worked out."

Spencer brings her mug to her lips, "Oh you do, do you?"

Riley sits for a moment, debating whether to say what's on her mind or not, feeling the topic would be connected with Spencer's stress. She decides to continue her appreciated honesty, "I think that I have made a good friend. And I would like for it to go further, but accept that it probably won't, at least anytime soon."

"Why do you think that?"

"For starters, I get the impression that you don't really want to date anyone while you don't have your memory, which makes sense to me. And, well, you'd have to be dumb and blind not to notice the connection between you and Ashley."

Spencer decides not to admit anything, "You only saw the two of us together for a moment."

"Yeah, and I saw how your face lit up when she showed up, and the death glare she gave me. I heard the affection in your voice when you talked to and about her on your birthday. And the whole song as a gift thing pretty much guarantees that she feels something for you."

"I wish it weren't so obvious. I wish I could just act like we are best friends and nothing more, it would make things so much easier."

Riley shrugs, "They don't write songs about stuff that comes easy."

Spencer smiles and shakes her head.

I don't blame you, for being you, but you can't blame me for hating it

"Hey mom," Spencer says into her phone.

"Honey, where are you? I tried your cell a little bit ago and you didn't answer, then I tried Ashley's and she said you left. Is everything ok?"

Spencer cuts in before her mom goes into full panic mode, "I'm fine, I'm getting coffee with Riley."

"Oh," she could hear the confusion in her mother's voice. "Well, I would like you to be home in time for dinner."

"No problem, I'll be home in a bit."

"Ok, sweetie," Paula said, wondering what happened between the blonde and brunette.

Spencer hung up and smiled apologetically at Riley, "Sorry, my mom wants me to head home."

"It happens. We'll grab a couple of to-go cups and get out of here."

"Thanks for this, I needed a friend."
"I'll risk sounding cheesy and say, thanks for letting me be that friend. And I was wondering, if you might need a friend tomorrow morning as well?"

"I can always go for coffee. What time?"

"I have class at eleven thirty, so how about nine thirty? That should give us plenty of time to enjoy our overpriced caffeinated beverages and get you back home."

"I'll be ready."

***************************************

After super Spencer lay on her bed and just stared at the ceiling, waiting. Sure enough, her phone rang and she saw Ashley's name flashing on the screen.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Look, about to today," Ashley began.

"No, don't," Spencer cut in, "let's just, can we just be friends right now?"

Ashley felt her heart sink, but kept her voice steady, "Of course. So, how'd the rest of your day go?"

"Pretty good, I went to this place called The Planet with Riley, it was nice. We should go sometime. And then I had a nice, Brady Bunch-like dinner at home. You?"

"I fought the urge to kill Kyla. Worked on a song. Ate supper. Fought the urge to kill Kyla. Watched TV. And fought the urge to kill Kyla."

"In that order?" Spencer teased.

"Pretty much. Ummm, I'm kind of beat so, I'm gonna hit the sack."

Spencer wasn't surprised, but she couldn't hide her disappointment, "Ok, good night."

"Night."

The call wasn't even a minute over before her phone went off again, this time Carmen's name flashing, "Hey Carmen."

"Spencer, I haven't heard from you in a while, I was afraid something happened to you."

Spencer could hear the annoyance in the girl's tone, which only annoyed her, "Sorry about that, I've been busy."

"Busy, right. Spencer, does our relationship mean nothing to you? Don't you get that I want to be with you?"

"No, you telling me over and over again that we are dating hasn't tipped me off the you wanting to be with me," Spencer replies sarcastically, not in the mood for a fight.

Apparently Carmen can tell, because her tone softens, "I'm sorry. It's just hard not to be with you Spencer. I actually called tonight in the hopes you would be willing to go out on a date with me tomorrow."

"I don't know Carmen. I don't mind spending time with you, but I don't want it to be called a date, I don't want all that comes with that label."

"Fine, then we can just hang out. How about I ditch my morning classes and we can watch some bad morning television?"

"Actually, I already have plans tomorrow morning. And you shouldn't skip classes on my account. Maybe tomorrow night then?"

"I guess. What plans do you have tomorrow morning?"

"I'm getting coffee with Riley."

"Riley?" Spencer can hear the surprise in Carmen's voice, followed by aggravation, "So you keep in contact with a girl you just met, but don't bother making plans with your girlfriend?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that we aren't dating right now? And I did make plans with you, plans for tomorrow night."

"Yeah, fine. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that Carmen hung up.

Spencer stares at her phone, not sure how she feels about that conversation and her agreement. Her thoughts are interrupted by her phone, this time with a text message from Riley.

Looking forward to tomorrow.

"I have three girls who want to date me. I'm a slut. A gay slut."

****************************************

That night Spencer slept well for the first time since the accident. When her mom banged on her door that she had company she realized she slept right through her alarm, and cursed. She rummages her drawers for clothes and finds everything but a bra. She starts to look everywhere, including her bookshelf. In her haste she knocks over some of the books, and to her surprise pictures scatter everywhere.

She drops to her knees and starts to gather them. One of the books, she notices, wasn't really a book but one of those safes that she hadn't locked. As she places the pictures back inside she pauses, smiling at a string of pictures of her and Ashley in a photo booth, sticking their tongues out in the top one and kissing in the bottom. They had gone to the pier one Friday after school for a free concert only for it to get rained out. Ashley had dragged her into the booth, saying they had to have something to show for the trip across town. During their kissing shot some guy and his girlfriend barged in, and the guy got smacked by his girlfriend for the way he drooled over Ashley and Spencer.

Spencer froze, "Holy shit, I remember."