Heart of Nowhere

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! Ha-ha, but don't I wish…

Summary: Spencer and co. return to Ohio. (Dude, that rhymes!) Ashley's not willing to let it go with just a simple good-bye.

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The next morning…

Spencer smiled and twiddled a unruly lock of curly cocoa hair in her fingers, kissing the brunette on the nose. Ashley closed her eyes even tighter as the light of the morning sun streamed in through the large, open windows of Spencer's bedroom.

"Five more minutes…" She muttered, snuggling into Spencer's neck, "Please, mom…"

"Ash!" Spencer laughed as Ashley's breath tickled her neck, "C'mon, get up, I'm hungry."

"Hungry for what?" Ashley asked in a low purr. "Me?"

"No!" Spencer laughed, pushing the grinning girl away. "Food! Human food, Ash." She sat up in bed and stretched out, yawning widely. "Let's get dressed and go down stairs."

"Fine." Ashley grumbled, crawling out of bed and opening her bag, looking for something to wear. "What should I wear?" She turned to face Spencer, hands holding up different clothes, a desperate look on her face.

"Anything will be great." Spencer said honestly and started to riffle through her clothes, "But what do I wear?"

"Nothing would be great." Ashley mimicked, rolling her eyes and Spencer smacked her in the head with her t-shirt, "Hey!" Ashley whined, falling to the floor, "That was mean!"

"Then don't mock me!" Spencer giggled, sitting on the bed and watching as Ashley finally found something to wear. "Oooh, me likey that outfit." Spencer nodded approvingly.

"Then it's all for you, baby." Ashley winked and pulled off her sleeping shirt, stuffing it back into her bag, "I'll do laundry later."

"You can do it here, if you want. My grandma won't mind." Spencer smiled as she remembered just how sweet her grandma was to them last night. "She really won't care."

"I don't know…" Ashley was still apprehensive when it came to asking the Carlins' for anything. Considering this was her dirty laundry, well that was just wrong. "Ugh, let's just go to breakfast." Ashley suggested and Spencer shrugged, following Ashley downstairs.

At the breakfast table…

"Oh, good morning ladies." Grandma Carlin was the first to notice the two girls enter the kitchen, "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Uh, whatever's easy." Spencer shrugged. Ashley shot her a look that clearly said 'I am!' and Spencer blushed, "And no! I didn't mean you Ash."

"Oh damn it." Ashley pouted and Grandma Carlin laughed at Ashley's clear disappointment.

"Oh Ashley, don't worry, Spencer'll come around eventually." She reassured the brunette, "Won't you Spencer?"

"Uh, I'm not comfortable with this conversation." Clay spoke up, hands over his ears.

"I second that." Glenn said, looking up from his cereal bowl, mouth full of food so it sounded like he said, "Mm mermer matt." (A/N: Did anyone else see that clip on the-n site? With him eating breakfast and everyone getting pissed at his loud chewing? If you didn't see it yet, I highly recommend it, it's hilarious!)

"Ugh, Glenn don't talk with your mouth full." Paula chastised him, "It's rude and disgusting." Ashley and the rest of the Carlin family nodded in complete agreement.

"Ok, fine." Glenn said after chewing and swallowing. "That better?"

"Much." Paula smiled, "Well, after eating I suggest us women go shopping. What do you say ladies?" She turned and forced a smile on her face when she looked to Ashley. "Spence? Ash?" Everyone made a weird face when she said that and she looked like she was going to hurl, "Sorry, Ashley?"

"Yeah, sounds great Mrs. C." Ashley said, nodding then turning to Spencer, "What about you, hun?"

"Sounds good to me too." Spencer smiled, "I can't wait to show my baby around my hometown." She grabbed Ashley around her trim waist and hugged her, "Yay!"

"Oh yeah, I can't wait either." Ashley groaned, but instantly perked up when Spencer goosed her. "What the -?"

"What?" Spencer and the two other Carlin females asked.

"Nothing." Ashley squeaked out, trying to keep her blush at bay. "Nothing at all."

"Are you sure, Ash? You look a little red." Spencer raised a hand to Ashley's cheek, then checked her forehead, "Do you feel ok? Jetlag?"

"No, I'm fine, I swear, Spence." Ashley reassured her. She wiggled out of Spencer's grasp and leaned against the counter, "So what's for breakfast?"

"Want some cereal?" Glenn offered, passing her the nearly empty box of Fruit Loops (A/N: Nope, you guessed it, I don't own them either. It's Kellogg that owns it, right?)

"Uh, no." Ashley made a face, "Ew, I guess I'll just have a bagel." She grabbed the bag off the counter and popped one into the toaster, "Spence?" She held up another bagel, "You want one too?"

"Mm-hm." Spencer nodded, opening the fridge, "Butter or cream cheese, Ash?"

"Whatever you want." Ashley answered, not even turning to face the blonde.

"Hm." Grandma Carlin smiled, "You two already work so well together. I'm impressed."

"Thanks, but it really isn't hard. Spence spends a lot of time at my house (Spencer coughing "Mansion!") and we just, I don't know, work well together." Ashley shrugged, glaring at the youngest blonde. "It's not!"

"It is too!" Spencer whined, "Grandma, Ash calls it a house, but she really means a mansion, her house is HUGE!" Spencer held her arms out, a child-like gesture for something really big.

"It's only cuz my dad's a rock star." Ashley grumbled, "I could care less you know."

"A rock star? How interesting." Grandma Carlin smiled, genuinely intrigued. "Spencer never told me that and she told me a lot about you."

"Oh she has, has she?" Ashley whirled to face the blonde, smirking. "And what are you telling everyone about me?"

"Not much." Spencer shrugged, smirking right back at her.

"Uh-huh." Ashley nodded, "I let that go…For now." She laughed and pulled out their bagels, passing the plates to Spencer so she could butter them. "So what are we gonna do today, Spence? I don't think shopping today will be good for me. I have no money on me."

"Hm, I don't know, what can we do in Ohio, Grandma?" Spencer turned to the older Mrs. Carlin for a suggestion. "Wait, since when don't you have money?" She whispered in Ashley's ear.

"Since now." Ashley hissed.

"Oh well, you said your father is a rock legend?" Grandma Carlin turned to Ashley.

"Yeah, Raife Davies." Ashley nodded, taking a bite out of her bagel. "Why?"

"You could always go to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame." Grandma Carlin suggested and smiled as Ashley's eyes practically bulged out of her sockets.

"The what?" Ashley demanded, whirling upon the youngest blonde, "Why didn't you mention this to me before? Spence, my name screams Rock & Roll! C'mon, we gotta go!" She bolted out the door, not caring that Spencer wasn't following as enthusiastically.

"Wait! What about your breakfast?" Spencer yelled after her, holding out her bagel.

"Bring them with us! C'mon let's go!" Ashley stuck her head back in the door, practically bouncing around in her pants. "Spence, hurry up!" She whined, making the most adorable pouting face.

"Jeez, you tell the girl anything about music and suddenly she's a different person." Spencer muttered, stuffing the bagels in a paper bag and turning to face the two adults still in the room, "Thanks for the suggestion, it was perfect. I'll call you if we need anything." She hugged and kissed both women on the cheek, following Ashley out the door.

"Wait up Ash!" Spencer yelled after her.

"Hurry up!"

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