Disclaimer: I own nothing SON related! If I did... this definitely would not be its last season. :(
A/N: Sorry, sorry. I should of gotten this out a long time ago... but something got in the way. A little something called life.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: I failed to mention it last chapter but if you guys hadn't picked up on it, last chapter and this chapter are taking place a few weeks since the earlier chapters. I was originally planning on taking the story day by day, but it would of taken too long to get to the juicy stuff!
A/N for story: I should of gotten this out last night but when I went to upload it, my internet kicked out. But here it is now! :) I read the last chapter yesterday... and I puked in my mouth. That was so cheesy, it was almost vile. I'm surprise I haven't lost any of you guys.


I wonder if she hears it too. The loud thumping that invades all of my senses and makes my hand shake as I run it through my hair. The best way I can describe the feeling is like after you've ran a marathon. You're sweating, your muscles are aching, you're gasping for air, your knees begin to buckle until you eventually fall to the floor in a heap. You lie on your stomach and place an ear to the ground and block out everything but the loud beating. That's exactly what I'm feeling right now. My body warm from the unexplainable source of heat that embedded itself into my chest with the mere mention of her name. I'm trying not to seem anxious and remain still, but it just turns into shaking. I keep staring down the hall to her room. It's too early to leave, but I'm excited to give her the present I have stored in the trunk of my car.

I lean tight against the nurses station, my right arm resting on top of the counter. I trace the wall in front of me with my eyes until they land on the clock. The second hand seeming to slow as if it were taunting me. Telling me that it is in fact the master of my fate. With each tick, my pulse quickens from under my skin. My bottom lip finds refuge between rows of teeth. Tick, tick, tick.

My attention had already drifted from my photography teacher explaining all the parts of the camera. His monotone voice made my lack of sleep clearly evident. I stifled a yawn and slouched back in my chair. I watched the clock towards the top of the white board, hoping to speed this period up. I watched as the second hand taunted me. It's ticking slowed visibly. I drowned out the sound of the teachers voice and became lost in my thoughts. Tick, tick, tick. Before I knew what was happening, my forearm was gripped tightly and I was pulled from my seat. The other person walked quickly in front of me, dodging chairs and backpacks sprawled out on the floor. She didn't need to turn around. I could tell it was her from the way she swung her hips as she walked, placing one foot in front of the other. And the way that her hair was tied into a ponytail, her red bangs clipped back. But the fact that assured me it was her was the way my arm tingled as her bare hand grasped it. My eyes traveled down the thin white tank top she had on, the bottom already inched up around her stomach. I traced the tattoo on the small of her back with my eyes before reaching out to touch it. I quickly snapped my hand back as we rounded a corner into the other room.

"Ash, what are you doing here?" I whispered loudly. Her grip on my forearm loosened slightly as I continued to trail behind her. We entered the darkroom and I lost sight of her gorgeous brown hair. I studied the silhouette of her back in the dim orange lighting. She finally let go of me and turned around. Before she could speak, she looked to her right. There were people developing their photos standing awkwardly beside us. With one snap of her head towards the direction of the exit, they were gone. She turned back to look at me, her eyes giving her intentions away clearly. I crossed my arms in front of my chest and leaned back against the cutting table. "You're not suppose to be here, remember? You 'graduated' already." I said bluntly.

"Look, Spence. I don't know how many times I'll have to apologize for something I'm not sure I even did, but I'll do it. You can't just cut me out of your life like this! You can't just give me the cold shoulder for no apparent reason. You won't answer my calls or my texts." She scoffed. "I threw rocks at your window for an hour straight the other night. Do you know how betrayed I felt when I knocked on your front door and your father told me you were out with another girl?"

"We're not dating." I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth.

"I know that, Spence. Because you said you needed time and that you just wanted to be my friend for now. Don't you understand? I can't just be your friend. I'll always be wanting something more." She untucked my arms and grasped my left hand between both of hers. The fingers on her bottom hand traced soft patterns against my palm. The other hand traced the base of my ring finger. She looked down at our joined hands. "I haven't been getting much sleep." She started again, her voice clearly worn. Her index and thumb continued to trace around the base of my ring finger. "Some nights I lie awake hoping you'll call. Hoping that you'll call and tell me that you're finally ready to be with me again. That this time it's forever. Other nights I'm hoping you'll call just so I can hear the sound of your voice. So I can pretend that you're lying next to me, talking into my ear." I was so wrapped up in the sound of her raspy voice that I had not notice the limited amount of space between us now. I could feel her jean covered knees brush against my bare ones, every time she moved. "Who is she, Spence?" She tucked my hair behind my right ear, her fingertips burned a trail against my cheek. I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to speak,

"It's not important. We're not dating." I said slowly. She whipped her hands away from mine and backed away. She let out a grunt and began to walk away.

"Damn it, Spence. I get it! We're not dating, we're just--" I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards me, her momentum spinning her around until she collided into me. I placed my hands on her bare sides peeking out from under her shirt, watching as she visibly shook from the contact.

"I meant me and that girl. We're not dating." She rested her hands against my forearms. My head tilted downwards. "I only went out with her once, and the whole time I thought about you. I kept comparing her to you. The way she talked, the way she looked me in the eye, the way she smiled. In the end, I thought it was just me. That I just wasn't attracted to her. But the truth is… it's because she wasn't you." She gripped my chin loosely, tilting my head to look at her. Even in the dim lighting, her warm brown eyes shone brightly. "I wanna be with you, Ash. I do. I'm just so… scared that you might hurt me again." Her eyes stared into mine so intensely. She shook her head,

"No, Spence. This time… this is forever."

"Spencer?"

I shake my head to clear my thoughts and look over the counter, down at Sara sitting in her chair.

"Huh, what?"

"Nurse Lewis just called. She says that Ms. Davies is on her way." I nod enthusiastically, my palms already sweating. The fingers on my right hand begin tapping on the counter top in a fast, rhythmic manner. I run my left hand through my hair a few more times. I can't seem to still any part of my body and Sara seems to notice. She slowly rises from her chair and leans over, covering my jittery hand with her own. I look down at our joined hands, my pale fingers stilling slightly, her hand adorn with wrinkles and freckles. Her light brown curls seeming so similar to hers. Her soft brown eyes are covered in granny glasses. She takes them off and leans a little bit closer to me, making sure to keep her eyes on mine the whole time.

"You know her, don't you?" The lump in my throat gets ten times bigger.

"Wh-wha-what?" I say rather flustered. There was no way I could of given that away. "Of c-course I know her. She's Ashley Davies. Everyone knows her! I-I'm not sure what you're talking about." She shakes her head and lets go of my hand. I watch with my mouth wide open as she stands from her chair and walks around the doorway to the left until she's right in front of me.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." I open my mouth to speak but quickly close it when she points a finger at me. "I've seen the way you look at her. The way you smile when someone mentions her name. The 'I heart A.M.D.' all over your notepads."

"Aiden's middle name is Matthew." I quickly add with a shrug.

She raises an eyebrow at me, "Aiden's middle name is Nicholas. Even I knew that. Besides, I'm at the computer all day! I did a little research to support my hunch and it turns out that Ashley Davies is in fact Ashley Marie Davies." I don't say anything but look at her. The tone in her voice worries me. If one word of this gets to Dr. Lynn, I'm gone. She looks at me with wide eyes and she's telling me not to worry, that she would never jeopardize our strong bond over something as silly as breaking a few rules. "You know her, don't you?" I lick my lips and after a moment of hesitation, I nod my head.

"Yeah… I do."

"She's the one that got away?" I look at her with wide eyes, asking her how she knows. She lets out a little smile, "When you first started working here, you said that you moved away from Ohio to L.A., but moved back. You said it was for college, but it wasn't. Was it?" I shake my head. "That one Valentines party, when you and Aiden got into a fight… I followed you outside to see if you were okay. When I opened the door I overheard him saying something about how she was gone and that you made your choice." I bite my lip harder, hoping to swallow the sob rising in my throat.

"How long have you known?"

She lets out a smile. One of those motherly smiles that they give you when you've done something wrong but they decide to look past it.

"Ever since you laid eyes on her." She lets out a broader smile that makes the worry lines on her forehead more prominent, "You don't look at her the way you look at Aiden. You look at her the way Aiden looks at you." I'm struggling to ask her if anyone else knows. Or if she might tell Dr. Lynn. She shakes her head, "Only Kristine knows. It's maternal instinct. And don't worry, our lips are sealed." I give her a grateful smile. The worried mother looks returns to her face, "How have you been putting up with this? It must be hard on you."

"It is. But it's been getting better. I've been dropping her hints from our past and it seems as though she's slowly piecing it together." I say solemnly.

"Why don't you just tell her? It'd make things a lot easier." I straighten my back and shrug my shoulders.

"Because I think our love was…is… more than that. It's epic. It's life changing. Sure, I could sit her down and tell her about every moment we spent together in vivid detail. But our love is greater than that. And if our love is truly as great as I make it seem, she'll find her way back to me. In her own time."

She winks at me before looking down the hall, "Well, it looks as if the love of your life is coming this way." With another wink and smirk, she returns to her desk behind the nurses station. I watch as she makes her way towards me. Her dark gray jacket wrapped tightly around her. Her tight jeans clinging to her legs in the most delectable ways. It's strange seeing her without an ounce of skin showing.

"You're so beautiful." I breathe out when she's arms length in front of me.

"What was that?"

"N-nothing. Are you ready to go?"


I bite my tongue and try not to laugh as I watch her hobble down the gravel slope. Occasionally, she'll lose her footing and curse quietly to herself. I walk up and down this hill everyday, this is a breeze for me. I look back over my right shoulder and watch as she mumbles to herself. She says something about stones from hell and sweaty palms. I smile and I notice that her face has a slight flush. She looks up at me and looks as though she's a small child that had just been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. She bites her lip and smiles back at me. I've noticed that she still has all of her old habits. She'll bite her lip when she's nervous. Or bounce her leg up and down when she's anxious. It assures me that seven years hasn't changed her all that much.

We finally make it to even ground and I can hear her let out a sigh of relief. I'm trying so hard not to just reach over and take her hand in my own, just out of habit. Before I let my urge overtake me, I watch from the corner of my eye as she moves closer to me. I tuck my chin into my chest, hoping to hide the goofy smile and blush spread across my face. When I feel the back of her hand brush against mine, I flip my hair behind my shoulder and look her in the eyes. My eyes catch hers and it's as if I'm back in high school. Back to when we used to hide our love and had to survive the whole day with secretive touches and stolen kisses. She backs away slightly and watches the steps she takes. I look back up at all the cars and finally see mine in the distance. I slow my pace and she seems to do the same almost instantly. Her left arm collides softly with mine and I giggle.

"Sorry," she mumbles incoherently, "I walk diagonally… perhaps you should walk to the right of me.….or something." I snap my head towards her and quirk an eyebrow at her.

I climbed out of her car and pulled my backpack over my shoulder. She had been acting different ever since I told her that I had feelings for her as well. I watched as she walked around her car, her head tilted downwards; watching her feet. She lifted her head upwards slightly and let out a shy smile.

I giggled as she walked around me until she was to my right. Slowly, we made our way out of the parking lot and into the school quad. At first, she'd walk arms length away from me. But with each step, she'd make her way closer until her side eventually collided with mine. This happened at least three times before she said something.

"Sorry, I walk diagonally… perhaps you should walk to the right of me." She mumbled quickly, her head still tilted towards the ground.

I snorted, "Ash. If you want to hold my hand, just hold it. Don't make up some lame excuse, because I happen to know for a fact you walk perfectly fine." She tilted her head to the right to look at me, a small smile tugging at her lips. Slowly, her left hand ran down my right arm until her fingers slid across my palm and laced with my own.

She shifts more to the right and I start humming the song I've been practicing all night. I haven't sang it since that last time I sang it to her. Her left hand brushes against my right and I can feel my cheeks burn. I'm not sure what comes over me, but before I can stop the impulse, I lace my fingers with her own. When I realize that we're still at the ward, I quickly let go. I unlace my fingers and link our pinkies together. When I notice that she's shaking I uncurl my pinky and drop my hand to my side. I watch as she moves away once more and I'm instantly missing her close presence. She walks on top of the white line painted onto the concrete, much like a small child would on top of a curb. She keeps losing her balance as if she really is walking on top of a curb. Before I can register what's happening, my right arm is pressed flushed against her left. I watch as she lets out a nose crinkly smile.


She doesn't know it, but she used to record here. Kyla bought the studio for her when she went into seclusion and has kept an eye after it since then. She stopped letting other artists use it. Eventually, she just gave the key to Chelsea so she could use it as an art space whenever she was in town. I called up Chelsea a few weeks ago to see if I could use it. She gave me the okay almost instantly.

We didn't talk much on our way here. There was a moment where I deeply contemplated telling her everything. I tried telling her nonverbally, but I think it just creeped her out. I snuck out while she was playing the piano and now I'm making my way back. The wood against my skin feeling eerily familiar. I open the door and am instantly met with her eyes. Oh, she has no idea what I've got in store for her.

"I've got something for you." I say as I hand it to her. I watch as she revels in the touch, her hands skimming all over it. "It was just sitting in my closet, you'd probably put it to better use." She remains silent as she takes it all in. She finally looks up at me.

"Do you play?"

I smile more to myself, suddenly remember all those impromptu guitar lessons from her all those years ago. I remember sitting between her legs as she gently placed her fingers over mine, positioning them over the wires into chords that to this day I know like the back of my hand. "A little… an old friend used to teach me. She's actually who I got that guitar from." I say slowly, hoping to spark her memory. I watch as she tries to memorize each piece of it. Suddenly, she starts shaking. Her fingertips grazing over the carving that her own hand did. Her eyes flutter close and I suddenly regret giving her the guitar. This is different from all those times she has these breakdowns. This ones stronger. The shaking seems although it rips through her painfully. Her teeth grind loudly against each other.

"Ashley, are you okay?" I rush out quickly. Her eyes lazily open and I want so badly to cup her cheeks and wipe her tears away with my thumbs. "Di-did I do something wrong?" She starts to shake her head as she sniffles. Before words actually fall from her lips my eyes widen. Her nose is bleeding. I push aside my indifference and quickly cup her cheek, wiping at the blood with my thumb. I pull back and rush over to the couch, finding a rag and running back over to her. I gently guide her over to the couch and motion for her to lie down. The instant her head touches my lap, I begin to lightly shake. I bite my lip and try to still every part of my body. I tilt her head back and look deeply into her brown eyes. What am I going to do with you?

We sit in comfortable silence for what seems like only minutes. My eyes have never left hers. I smooth back her hair with my hand a few times before checking on her bloody nose. I lift up the towel, it seems that she has stopped bleeding. "When did you start doing drugs?" I ask, I already know the answer, it won't surprise me.

"I can't remember." She whispers, the back of her head moving deeper into my jean clad thigh.

"Why did you start doing drugs?" This is the question I never had the guts to ask before. I can tell from the slight snarl on her face that she's about to reply with a smart ass remark. Almost instantly, her face softens. Her brow furrows and I can tell she's actually putting some thought into this.

"I'm not sure… It's probably because of my messed up childhood. I had a neglectful mother that had a new rich boyfriend every week and only liked me because of my pretty bank account. My father was wild, but was ten times better than my mother ever was. Even though he was around three days out of the year. But those were the only days I felt alive. When he used to sing me to sleep, the song that to this day makes me feel like I'm home and that I'm just a young child being tucked in by her father."

I don't push the subject. I don't ask her what song it was. Because I already know. Because she has already told me this story a dozen times before.

"Perhaps… it's because of these dreams I keep having."

"Dreams? A-about what?" I remember Kyla saying something about dreams about me… but I never got around to asking her. She rises from my lap and maneuvers herself until her back is against the cushions.

"Sometimes about my dad, singing me to sleep. But most of the time they're about an angel," She says softly. "Her blond hair and blue eyes haunting my dreams in the most pleasurable ways." I bite my lip and raise an eyebrow at her. "At first I thought it was you…" I retract back a little, taken back from her comment. "But it can't be you." She shakes her head and I cross my arms. I'm going to have to have a little talk with Kyla. That could possibly include crude words and keeping my pimp hand strong. "Because your eyes are brighter than hers. Your smile is more breathtaking, your touch is warmer…. But there's definitely a resemblance. I can't quite put my finger on it though…" Oh, swoon. Maybe I won't have to backhand Kyla after all. I nod my head and bite my lip, hoping to hide the wide smile threatening to make itself noticed.

"Maybe you should start practicing again. We've got to get back soon." She nods her head but doesn't move from her spot.

"I think I'm done for the day. I'm kind of distracted."

I stare at her for another second before getting up from my seat. Now would be a more perfect time than ever. I move over to the piano and sit on the bench. I place my hands on the keys and let my fingers skim all over them. I hear her let out an amused laugh,

"Do you play?"

I smile. She'll never see this coming. "No." She gets up from her seat and moves behind me, placing her hands on either side of me. Her warm breath in my ear making me sweat. I move my head just a fraction of an inch and my right cheek brushes against hers. "Teach me something." I say, my voice undeniably husky. She grasps my wrists and positions it where she wants it to. I place my palm against the back of her hand and slip my fingers through the gaps of her own, moving each of her fingers onto a key.

"Press down." She says into my ear and my fingers begin to shake as I press the keys down. She moves her head towards mine and I can feel her lips against the shell of my ear. I take in a quick breath and she moves away to sit next to me on the bench. I watch her, my face obviously flushed. She refuses to look at me as I take in a deep breath. I hope all those hours of practicing yesterday is going to pay off.

I begin to play the first few chords, instantly forgetting some of the words and deciding to hum them instead. Finally, I remember the words.

"In the misty morning fog, our hearts a-thumpin' and you…" I reach over to her side of the piano to reach a chord. "My brown eyed girl." I slow the tempo and look her directly in the eye as I sing the last line. "You, my brown eyed girl." I decide to stare at my hands in my lap before actually looking up at her. She's got a small smile on her face, but doesn't say anything. "I learned it a while ago… I stayed up all night learning how to play it so I could play it for a friend. I thought it was fitting." I ramble.

"That's the song my dad used to sing to me." She says softly. I nod my head.

"I can see why. It's like the song was written for you."

She lets out a nose crinkly smile and snorts, "That was the cheesiest line I've ever heard, Spence."

I let out a laugh and add a head tilt for good measure, "I know, I couldn't come up with anything better."

"But it was sweet." She says. I play with my hands in my lap before settling on resting them against the keys. She envelops my right hand with her own. "Thank you."

"For what?" I finally look back up at her.

"For just… being here."


Please review! :D

fojoa: Hehehe thank you. And yes, try getting stuck behind a crowd of old people at Disneyland. It was NOT the happiest place on earth that day.
SD8105: It will come in due time. :)
xvolcom11x: You just may be right! :D
Conscious: I actually really like long reviews! It connects me and the readers. So, I deeply appreciated your review! :D You totally are my favorite reviewer now hahaha. And of course I'll adopt you! We can have our own little Brangelina brood!
crickett13: Thank you. :D
u.luv.me: CALI REPRESENT! Hahaha. Umumumm.. as for Aiden. Idk, we'll see. :)
niknakniki: It'll get better!
irondragonsll: Ek, I had to write it! ... Okay well I didn't, but we needed some drama here and there. :)
EagleSenior: Sorry I took so long!
MeloniFreak: Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter!
addy.ction: Yeahyeahyeah, everyone wants me! ;) Hahaha just kidding. Omgomgomg Gregory and the Hawk are my all time favvvvorite! And exactly! I won't let ANYONE touch my guitars... so Ashley actually damaging it is a big thing!
chloedarko: Don't worry... she'll remember in time! :D
333: :D I'm sorry I took so long to get this chapter out. I hope you liked it as well!
Alicia: I would never stop alternating POVs! But sometimes it's difficult... but I'm glad people enjoy it!
n0rmalsov3r8d: It was EXTREMELY fluffy. When I read it again I was banging my head against my desk saying, "I can't believe I wrote that." Hehehe. But I'm glad you thought it was cute! I on the other hand puked a little.
EmmaJones: Awesome!
Elli452: :D! I actually really appreciate your review. Thank you. I'm glad my story makes sense! Sometimes I'm worried that you guys won't pick up my train of thought, but I guess you guys are! :D
ElloEllo9: I really liked your review too. Hahaha. When I started writing this I never thought people would actually like it, but reviews like yours make me feel so good! :D I just want to jump through my screen to all of yours and give you all a big hug! :D
JustMeInLove: You just may be right! ;) And I'm glad you think I'm getting better. Personally, I think I'm getting really cheesy... but I'm trying to stay away from that haha.

I apologize once more. I hope I haven't lost any of you guys! :D