Chapter Twenty

Ashley was stirred from sleep by the harsh sound of heavy rain slapping against the rock just outside the grotto. Shifting her position, she felt wet splatter hitting her face. With a groan, she opened her eyes and looked outside. Mere inches from her head, what looked to be partially frozen rain pummeled the earth.

"…wonderful…"

She rolled over and shook Spencer's shoulder. "Spence, wake up."

The blonde grumbled and reluctantly cracked an eye open. "What?"

"We gotta move the sleeping bag before it gets soaked."

Blinking her eyes into focus, Spencer glanced outside, noticing the sleet for the first time. She also noticed how her breath puffed visibly as she exhaled. The two got up and moved their bed back to its original spot, and Spencer crawled right back in. Ashley chuckled and knelt down next to her, running her fingers through the blonde's hair.

"Tired?"

"It's still early," the younger girl murmured.

"Yeah, I don't think the sun's up yet. Hard to tell."

"Come back to bed," came the sleepy request.

"I'm up already. I was thinking maybe I'd try to find us breakfast."

Spencer was suddenly wide awake. "Ash, you can't go hunting in this. You'll freeze. Nothing will be out anyway."

Ashley glanced outside at the freezing rain. Then she looked down at the blonde and the hand that was now holding her own. Guess which one won. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Spencer closed her eyes as the brunette settled back in next to her. "I'm always right." She was rewarded with a snort and an arm around her waist. She suppressed a yawn. "It's true."

"Okay, you are."

"…took you long enough…"

Ashley listened as Spencer's breathing evened out over the next few minutes. She wasn't sure how the girl could fall asleep with the sound of the sleet pounding just outside, but she didn't mind. She took the opportunity to study the sleeping blonde, memorizing the girl's features just as she had done countless times before. It was a pastime Ashley never tired of. Her eyes traced along a soft jawline and over full lips. The tiniest frown creased a pale brow.

The blonde whimpered and shifted, causing a few strands of hair to fall over closed eyes. Ashley gently brushed those strands away, letting her fingers trail over Spencer's neck. A faint smile came to the sleeping girl's lips, and Ashley automatically mirrored it.

She stayed like that for several hours, listening to the rain outside and watching Spencer sleep next to her. When the blonde began to rouse, Ashley kissed her nose and nuzzled her a bit, guiding her back into the waking world.

Spencer yawned without opening her eyes. "It's still raining?"

"Looks like."

Still the blonde's eyes remained closed as she frowned. "But I'm hungry."

"I know. I am, too."

Finally, Spencer lifted her gaze to Ashley's, smiling lazily before pushing herself up. She glanced outside at the liquid curtains falling steadily and sighed. "You think this place has room service?" she joked.

Ashley rolled onto her back and stretched. "Well, I could make a call, but I don't think the rabbits and pheasants will deliver."

"Well, that sucks."

The brunette smirked and hooked her finger under the waistband of Spencer's jeans, pulling the giggling blonde down on top of her. The thought of tickling the other girl had barely entered her mind when she found her hands pinned above her head.

"Don't even think about it, Davies."

"How do you do that?"

"I'm gifted."

"Apparently." Ashley lifted her head up to kiss Spencer, but the blonde held herself just out of reach. "Heeeeey."

"What?"

"No fair."

The blonde cocked her head to the side. "And what would you consider fair?"

"Well, you did say you were hungry…"

Spencer donned a look of boredom. "Other options?"

"Naked straddling?"

A smile was threatening to break through. "Or?"

"Naked wrestling?"

The smile grew. "Or?"

"Naked Twister?"

Two brows scrunched together. "We don't have a Twister board."

"Oh. Right. Naked tag?"

"In the sleet?"

"No, guess not. Naked—"

"Ash, how long are you going to continue this?"

"Until at least one of us is without clothing. Preferably you."

"I see."

Ashley wriggled under Spencer, trying unsuccessfully to free her hands. "How about naked…Oh, screw it. Just kiss me."

"Why? It's so much fun watching you squirm."

"There are other more enjoyable ways to make me squirm, Spence. Writhe. Moan. Plead, even, if you're determined."

An evil glint flashed in blue eyes. "Really."

Brown eyes darkened. "Absolutely."

One of Spencer's hands dropped from Ashley's wrists and skimmed slowly down the brunette's arm, face, neck, and chest. The blonde smirked as her hand grazed over the smaller girl's ribs. Ashley's eyes widened in sudden dread and realization a mere second before Spencer's fingers started mercilessly poking, prodding, and squeezing her sides. Uncontrolled laughter erupted from the brunette, and she struggled against Spencer's strong grip.

"Goddamn…Spence…so unfair!" she managed between gasps of laughter. The tickling continued. "God, Spencer, stop!" Ashley squealed. "Okay, uncle! Uncle!"

The blonde ceased her onslaught, sitting up so that she was straddling Ashley's hips. She didn't let go of the girl's wrists. "Huh, look at that. I can make you writhe and plead."

The brunette was still fighting to catch her breath. "You forgot moan."

"Oh darn." Spencer sounded somehow less than sincere.

"You're going to pay for that, Carlin."

"I'm shaking."

"You will be."

"Is that a threat?"

"That's an Ashley Davies guarantee."

Spencer finally released her lover's hands. "And if I'm not satisfied with your service, what kind of warranty do you offer?" She received a slap on the rear for that little comment.

Ashley's hands came to rest on the blonde's hips. "You know, I'm noticing you got the straddling thing going, but neither of us is naked."

Spencer just rolled her eyes and climbed off the brunette. Ashley smiled and sat up to hug the blonde from behind as they both gazed outside. As much as she joked, she was perfectly content just holding Spencer.

The sleet continued on into late morning. When it finally stopped, Ashley packed the rifle, shells, and arrows into Spencer's empty backpack while the blonde started up a fire with their dry wood supply. The brunette called over her shoulder as she started off.

"Be back in a while."

"Happy hunting."

There was a thin layer of slush on the ground. Ashley cringed at the squishing sound her shoes made as she sloshed through the rain-soaked undergrowth. Branches dripped on her as she passed underneath, each cold drop that hit her making her shiver. The occasional gust of wind only chilled her further. She pulled her sweatshirt even closer around herself.

Nearly three hours of searching, and there wasn't a single living thing in sight. Even the sparrows seemed to be in hiding. She kicked through the tall grasses and thickets just to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her, but no flurry of feathers met her. She came to the meadow she had run into the day before. The overgrown grasses were weighed down with the morning's dense moisture. Making a pass through the clearing and finding nothing, Ashley turned back.

Hearing a rustled off the right, she notched an arrow to her bow, halting her steps. About thirty seconds passed while Ashley tried to locate the source of the sound. Then, she saw the tiny brown form, it's black and white stripes making it stand out against the foliage.

"Damn."

With the single uttered word, the chipmunk froze for a few moments before it darted off into the brush. Ashley ran a hand through her dampened hair and continued back to the lake. It was nearly dark when she made it back, and she found Spencer sitting on a dry piece of wood in front of the fire. Wordlessly, Ashley walked past her lover and into the grotto. When she reemerged, she held their last can of soup in her hand.

"I saw a chipmunk," she said in response to Spencer's unasked question. "So unless we still have some of that plant crap…"

"I haven't gone out to get more."

"Should we try for fish?"

"We don't have any bait, and it's getting too dark to see anything."

"I guess soup it is then." Ashley put the opened can on the cooking rack and sat down next to Spencer. The bottom six inches of her jeans were soaked, and she was grateful for the fire's warmth as she rubbed her hands together. "We need to do some kind of food stocking or something."

Spencer nodded. "We got lazy."

Ashley gave a weak smirk. "Well, we did get a little distracted…"

"We did," the blonde agreed with a grin of her own. It slipped away. "I don't know how we're going to store anything more than a day, though. The vegetation will rot, and the meat will spoil…"

Ashley shook her head and leaned against Spencer. "I'm too tired and hungry to think about it."

The blonde wrapped an arm around her lover's shoulder, and they waited for their soup to heat. One of their safety nets had just fallen away.