Chapter 25 - This Protector

"Are you absolutely sure that we can't skip this?" Ashley made one last ditch effort to get out of it as they entered the small gallery.

"Yes. Come on, Ash, we just have to make an appearance for an hour and then…" Spencer trailed off as she read the name of the other featured artist off one of the posters advertising the event. Chelsea Lewis and Carmen Finkle? Oh goddammit. "You know what, you're right, we should go home."

"We should?" Ashley frowned at Spencer's change of tune but wasn't going to fight it.

"Spencer!"

Spencer cringed at the sound of Chelsea's voice but forced a smile onto her face as she turned around. "Chelsea, hey. Thanks for inviting us."

"Thank you for coming." She stepped forward and hugged Spencer lightly. "Girl, you look amazing," she said, releasing her and acknowledging Ashley with a nod. "Ashley, it's been a while."

Not long enough. "Yeah."

Ashley tuned out as Chelsea started talking as she was rarely interested in anything that the artist had to say. God, she is so annoying! "I don't want to keep my baby. Yes, I do. No, I don't. Yes, I do…Oops, I lost it. Oh hi, my dead baby daddy's brother, I'm going to lead you on and make you fall in love with me and then ditch you to go to Paris!" Ashley thought as she scanned the room for the free food that she had been promised. Finally, her eyes fell on one of the waiters. Cheese and crackers? That's not food, that's what you eat before you eat food. I've been duped! She turned her attention back to the conversation when she heard her name mentioned. "What?"

"You don't mind if I steal Spencer away for just a minute do you?"

Spencer looked at Ashley with pleading eyes. Don't leave me alone with her!

Sorry baby, but you're the one that wanted to come. "Not at all, I'm sure I can find something to amuse myself with while she's gone."

Spencer glared over Chelsea's shoulder as she was whisked away.

-

Ashley had been about to go in search of the promised free wine (although, if the cheese and crackers were any indication, it would probably be from a cask) when she was distracted by one of the awful paintings hanging on the wall.

She had never been a fan of Chelsea's art. Especially that stupid memorial for the victim's of the shooting she'd made. What was with all the hands? Were they supposed to be reaching up out of their graves? Was she implying that Clay had become a zombie? she absently thought as she tried to figure out what the multicolored blotches of paint on the yellow background was supposed to be.

"Amazing, isn't it," some random guy wearing a beret sidled up to her and began talking without any introduction. "I love the way the artist has juxtaposed the depressing subject matter with such bright primary colors. What do you think?"

Ashley grimaced. I wish Spence was here, she's smart, she'd know what this guy's talking about. "Um…I like the colors?"

-

By this time, Spencer was really regretting accepting that stupid invitation. Really the only reason she didn't turn it down was because she'd thought it would stop her from thinking about tomorrow too much. From thinking what would happen if the pregnancy test Kyla took turned up negative. Not that there was a huge chance of that happening, maybe five percent, that's what the doctor had said.

Chelsea had spent five minutes showing her some painting that was supposedly inspired by Clay's memory before the artist spotted some critic that she apparently just had to schmooze and took off with a promise to find Spencer again later.

"Spencer."

Spencer stiffened at the distinctively husky voice and turned. "Carmen," she said so coldly that there may as well have been icicles dripping off her words.

"You look good." Carmen leered at her. "Really good."

"You too," Spencer responded, unable to fight her polite upbringing.

Unfortunately, Carmen took this as an indication for her to move closer to the uncomfortable blonde. "I didn't know that Chels had invited you and I'm going to guess that you didn't know that I'd be here either," she drawled.

"You'd be right," Spencer answered tersely, backing away. "I, uh, actually have to go, I only stopped by to wish Chelsea luck and it's getting late-"

Carmen stopped her by grabbing her wrist. "It's barely even eight." Her grip on Spencer's wrist tightened, to the point where it started to become painful, when she tried to pull away.

"Carmen, let me go," Spencer fought to stay calm even as her eyes frantically searched the room for her wife.

"Come and have a drink with me, we can catch up."

"I don't think so." Spencer tugged at the hand restraining her again. Come on, Ash, where are you?

-

The random art critic guy was halfway through a lengthy explanation of Chelsea's art work, when Ashley's 'Spencer sense' started to tingle.

Without bothering to excuse herself from the bereted man, Ashley wandered off in search of her wife and was not happy with what she found.

Drawing herself up to her full diminutive height and ready to get her Alpha female on, Ashley approached the pair and wrapped a possessive arm around Spencer's waist. "Problem?"

The two women's response to Ashley's presence couldn't have been more different. Spencer curled herself into her wife's protective embrace while Carmen released her and backed away. "So it's true," she said with a smirk. "You really did marry the living Bratz doll."

"Bratz doll?" Ashley scoffed, unaffected. "They stopped making those like ten years ago. Way to be dated, Bangs."

Carmen's hand went to her hair, which happened to be even worse than it had been in high school, in a self-conscious gesture.

"I have to say Hobo Barbie," Ashley continued. "This is quite a step up. The last we saw of you, you were hocking your fugly sketches out of the back of your car. Who'd you blow to get this gig?"

Carmen bristled, her lip curling up into a snarl. It was one thing to insult her hair but her art? No way. "You'd better shut your mouth-"

"Or what? You'll push me into a wall. Oh yeah, I know all about that." Spencer had let it slip one day, figuring that they'd never see Carmen again. Obviously, she had been wrong.

"Did she tell you how much she liked it? I swear, she was got so wet that night that I barely knew what to do with her-"

"What?" Spencer yelped, grabbing Ashley as she lunged at Carmen. "Are you insane?"

"A little bit."

Spencer ignored her and focused on trying to soothe Ashley who was still straining against her in an effort to get at the other woman. "Ash, calm down," she said softly against her wife's ear as she lightly scratched her nails across her exposed stomach, a move that usually calmed her down but seemed to be having little effect in this instance.

"But she said-"

"I know and we both know that she's full of it. Come on, baby, she's not worth it." Spencer's efforts seemed to be working until Ashley saw Carmen smiling smugly over the blonde's shoulder and it set her off again. "Ashley." She grabbed Ashley's face and forced her to look at her. "Let it go. For me. Just let it go and we'll go home."

Ashley's jaw clenched. It went against everything inside her to just let Carmen get away with hurting Spencer like that but if she didn't then Spencer would get all upset and probably cry. She didn't want Spencer to cry. "Okay," she relented, relaxing slightly.

"Could you be any more pussywhipped?"

Does she have a death wish? "Shut the fuck up, Carmen!" Spencer snapped at her and started dragging Ashley along, intent on getting out of there as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, Carmen happened to be in between them and the only exit. Of course, Ashley couldn't resist getting one last shot in.

"If I ever see you again, I'll put you through a fucking wall," she threatened, delighting in seeing the stupid smirk slide off Carmen's, and shoulder checked the shorter woman hard enough to send her stumbling backwards, as they passed by.

-

"Oh yeah, that was real fun," Ashley said, closing the door to her car. "The most fun I've ever had!"

"I'm sorry," Spencer apologized, grimacing.

"Why are you sorry? It's not like you knew that she was going to be there. Chelsea should've told you." So really it's all her fault. Stupid Chelsea.

"About what Carmen said," Spencer began quietly, looking down at her fidgeting hands. "We never-"

Ashley reached over and stilled her nervous hands. "I know you didn't." She chuckled at Spencer's look of surprise. "What, did you really think that I'd take that morons word over yours?"

Spencer shook her head, feeling foolish. She didn't know what she had been thinking.

"Honestly, I don't know what you ever saw in that loser." I mean, I know that I'm not the greatest catch but she is so much worse.

"Um, how about she was the only other lesbian in the school." The dating pool at King High was shallower than a children's wading pool and, desperate to try and move on, Spencer settled for taking what she could get. "Besides, I could ask you the same thing about Aiden."

"Touché," Ashley said, wrinkling up her nose. "I really wish that you'd let me kick her ass."

"Next time," Spencer promised, deciding to indulge her wife.

"Awesome."

-
TBC