Dissident: Chapter 12

Ashley had laid awake in bed, trying not to fall asleep. She was afraid that if she were to close her eyes, she would drift back to another reality. One that she wasn't sure she wanted to return to anymore.

When the alarm clock went off, she carefully leaned across Spencer and silenced it. She paused, hovering over the beautiful woman. Her eyes traced the curves of her face, fullness of her lips, unique shape of her eyebrows, and the fluttering of eyes beneath her closed lids. It felt important to remember this moment. To memorize the love of her life all over again.

She leaned down to leave a feather light kiss on her girlfriend's forehead before lowering herself and cuddling into the crook of the blonde's neck. Spencer stirred for a few seconds, but relaxed when Ashley's hold tightened as to say 'it's not time to get up'.

Spencer was incredibly warm and Ashley was coherent enough to understand that it wasn't just from the temperature of her body. She was inspired to write a song right then. About the heat of love. It was corny, she knew, but that was what Spencer did to her. But she was also just as inspired to remain snuggled up to her personal furnace. So she did. And finally sleep overtook her.

It was a battle she could not have won. Warm, content, and thinking how wonderful it was that in any reality, Spencer made her feel the same way.

Goofy and undeniably Loved.

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Little Emilee glanced back and forth between Spencer and Ashley. She absent mindedly attempted to pierce a pancake with her fork as she watched the two gazing at each other with small smiles and red cheeks. Raising the eating utensil, she was so distracted by their lack of attention that she didn't realize she hadn't secured the spongy chunk of food well enough to make the distance between plate and mouth. As soon as she felt it land on her shirt, she looked down to find syrup had splattered over the white material. Eyes darted up in guilt, prepared for the scolding she would surely receive. Mommy Spencer always got mad at her when she was messy. But neither of the two women had noticed.

Emilee's eyebrows creased in confusion. Her hand found the soggy food on her chest. She leaned down and looked under the kitchen table, hoping to find their doggy, Cookie, so that she could give him a treat. Her eyes made several sweeps of the floor before noticing that Ashley's leg was stretched and her foot was resting on the chair between her mommy's legs. She didn't know what that meant, but she had the sense to know that you weren't supposed to put your foot near someones private. She jerked her head up without assessing her position in relation to the table and knocked it so hard that it caused her orange juice to tip over.

"Emilee!" That did it. Rubbing the forming knot on her scalp, she slowly peeked over the edge of the table toward Mommy Spencer. She didn't look mad. Just annoyed as she frantically used some napkins to wipe the splattered liquid up.

The amused brunette appeared beside Spencer and placed calming hands over the blonde's. "Here, let me." Emilee's mommy grinned and blushed as she leaned into the other woman.

Emilee mumbled a "Sorry" just as the telephone rang.

Spencer turned around and flirtatiously nudged Ashley with her hip before walking to the counter to pick up the phone. "Hello?"

Ashley wiped the remaining juice from the table and gave Emilee a wink.

"I think so." It was Kyla. Asking if they would be at the club for karaoke. She didn't want to go, but her mind was so clouded with visions of Ashley's backside as she leaned over the table that she couldn't think of an immediate excuse to get out of it.

Emilee watched Ashley turn around and raise a questioning eyebrow toward her mommy. Spencer mouthed "Bar" in return.

Despite what her mother thought, Emilee could read lips. And It was OK with Emilee if the two went out tonight, because that meant she got to go over to Grandma and Grandpa Carlin's. They let her do anything she wanted and never got mad at her.

"OK." Spencer pouted, thinking of a million things she'd rather be doing... with Ashley ... than sitting in a bar listening to wannabe musicians play hideous covers of more talented artists. "We'll meet you at 7."

Emilee took a bite of pancake as her mommy walked toward the table. She observed as Spencer approached Ashley with eyes that said her impostor mommy was in big trouble. Of course, she was an innocent and naive little girl, and had no idea that those eyes were filled with something completely other than anger. Hopefully she wouldn't figure that out for another 15 years.

Without looking toward mini-Spencer, Ashley grabbed Spencer by both arms, turned her around, and started pushing her out of the kitchen. "Em, finish your food and then go watch cartoons for a bit."

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"I'm glad to see you two have patched things up." Aiden whispered into Spencer's ear.

The blonde wistfully looked toward the bar where Ashley and Kyla were ordering a pitcher of beer. "Me too."

Aiden would have pestered her for information on how they were able to work things out. But he knew that it made no difference. No matter what, Spencer and Ashley always found their way back to each other.

"I'll be right back." Spencer excused herself. She knew she was being needy, but she had an undeniable urge to be near her girlfriend. And the 5 minutes Ashley had been away was too long for her liking.

Ashley turned and leaned back against the bar, barely listening to her sister complain about Aiden's bad habit of leaving clothes around the house, when she noticed a beautiful blonde sauntering up. "Miss me?"

Kyla stopped her bitching at the unexpected interruption. She glanced over her left shoulder to see Spencer and Ashley engrossed in an adorably and sickeningly sweet eye-lock. She was thankful that the bartender had set the pitcher of beer in front of her at that moment. "I'm just gonna..." She didn't need to finish her sentence. She knew the two were not paying attention. She took the beer and made her way back to their table where she could properly continue her bitch session to the person who really needed to hear it anyway.

After a few moments, Ashley opened her arms and Spencer instinctively moved into her embrace. She rested her forehead on the brunette's chest. It felt good to be in her arms. To smell her. To feel her breath in her hair.

They swayed slightly to the cheesy karaoke music, before Spencer felt Ashley whisper "I've always loved you, Spencer Carlin."

Spencer pulled back to look Ashley in the eye and return the sentiment but was interrupted by the MC announcing that it was her girlfriend's turn to take the stage. So instead, she playfully patted the musicians ass and said "Go get 'em, sexy."

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The bar erupted in applause after Ashley gave another out-of-her-league performance. Aiden, Kyla, and Spencer shared awkward glances with each other as they tentatively clapped. Though they would not say it out loud, they all shared the same thoughts. Where was this rockstar talent coming from? Had she been this good back when she was trying to make it on her own, she would have actually been successful at it.

Ashley raised the strap of her guitar over her head with a small smile. It wasn't her best, but it would do.

She placed the guitar in it's case, grabbed the handle, and began to make her way down the side of the stage to her girlfriend. She had an undeniable urge to be near her. And the five minutes she had been singing was too long for her liking.

But just as she took the last step, a familiar face emerged impeding and close to her. "Ashley Davies."

"Angel..." The musician stepped back to regain some personal space.

"Angela Stedson." The woman corrected while reaching out to give the brunette a business card.

Ashley curiously took the card and slipped it into her back pocket without reading it. "Why are you here?"

Angela grabbed Ashley's hand and pulled her to the corner for a bit more privacy. She leaned in and whispered flirtatiously, "You are a very talented woman."

Ashley looked toward their table and caught Spencer's eyes before the blonde quickly averted them. "Yep. You got that right." It should have came out as cocky as intended, except that she was afraid. Frightened that this was it. That Angel... Angela was going to tell her that her time was up. That she would no longer have Spencer. The result was more of a timid statement rather than one lacking conviction.

"I find talent for Reality Records. They're looking for someone like you. Interested?"

"Are you kidding me?" Ashely disbelievingly eyed her up and down. Of course, she had seen her Angel in several work outfits. She just thought that they were costumes. Certainly she didn't have the ability to pull off something like this.

Angela gave the brunette an incredulously knowing look.

Ashley felt stupid. Of COURSE she has the ability to do this. She had the ability to transfer her from one life to another, after all. "Why?" Because that's what she really needed to know. Why was she being asked to take a job doing something she did in her other reality instead of just being sent back?

The angel/talent scout was silent in response, and Ashely hated that she was always so vague and wishy washy.

She looked over toward their table again and caught Spencer ducking her head immediately. She smiled as she watched her beautiful blonde trace the rim of her glass with her index finger. She realized that the blonde was keeping was keeping an eye on her. It was then that she finally got it. It was like a light bulb going on in her head. The purpose for her transportation to this world. Angel must have brought her here to fix them. Angel was showing her that Spencer and Ashley were meant to be, but how miserable they are financially and with jobs that neither wanted to do. Angel was providing her an opportunity to change all of that for the better. "Absolutely. I'm in."

Angela shook her head in dismay, which went unnoticed to the musician who's eyes were fixated on a gorgeous blonde several tables away. "OK. Call the number on the card tomorrow. We'll get things started." She reached up turned Ashley's chin to face her. "Don't disappoint me, OK?"

Ashley smiled and confidently nodded her head. She was a great musician. There was no way to fail now. "You can count on me." And because she was overjoyed with the opportunity presented for her to make Spencer unbelievably happy, she enveloped her Angel in a long, tight hug.

Across the room, Spencer peeked at the two women again. The closeness, touching, whispering, and hugging. She knew, with every ounce of her being, that this was the woman who had taken away her Ashley. But what she would never understand, was that this was the woman who was going to bring Ashley to her.