The Great Love

Part One (Continued)

VII.

this is how you remind me of what I really am

Spencer falls asleep to drawn faces and hard, brown eyes. She wakes up to warm arms wrapped around her and a hard body behind her. A pair of jean-clad legs surround her. There is a worn spot at the knee, tan skin peeking through the fibers. It's as the blonde wakes up that she becomes aware of several things. First, she feels the steady back and forth motion of the person's breathing. Then, she becomes aware of hard muscles in the arms encompassing her. It's only when she opens her eyes and sees a stray lock of curly hair from the body behind that she realizes her companion is Ashley.

Really, she should've known sooner.

Her body tenses at the realization, aware of Ashley's barely hidden animosity towards her ever since their conversation that night and also of the new circumstances. Their situation is even bleaker than it had been as they are faced with the abrupt loss in supplies and also in moral. Spencer may not understand their specific position completely, but she understands how much life can wear on you. These girls are reaching the breaking point.

Spencer's not quite sure how she got in the position she had woken in, but she decides not to question it. She shifts forward, easing Ashley's grip away from her and rising slowly. The other girl grunts and makes small noises of annoyance, but she stays sleeping. She brushes herself off with her hands, pieces of dirt clinging to her (Ashley's) worn clothes. Madison is sleeping curled up on the ground and Ashley is still in the same position she was, leaning up against a tree with her knees drawn up. The only thing missing is Spencer's body in between them.

The only waking girl sits down again, against a tree, and she watches as the other girls stir, murmuring and blinking slightly as they rouse. Ashley is the first one to wake fully, her eyes filled with some odd, quivering emotion as they peer into Spencer's, several feet away from her. Madison's eyes open a minute later. She blinks confusedly at the two girls for several seconds before her eyes narrow, recognition coming into them.

Their situation is dire and Madison has had enough. Her fiery temper came to the surface as she watched this perfect girl looking at Ashley (her Ashley). "This is all your fault," she hissed through clenched teeth. Both girls look to her in surprise, not realizing she had woke up. "We were fine before you. Now everything is ruined!" Her voice escalated as she went on.

Spencer shrank back against the tree behind her, bark scratching the soft skin of her lower back. Ashley's eyes remained unreadable, but a flicker of guilt flashed through them.

"I'm sorr…"

"No! You don't get to be sorry. You don't get to be anything. Not to me and not to Ashley. Why couldn't you just leave us alone?" Madison stood angrily, bearing down on the other girl. Her eyes were full of fire and her fists were clenched tightly at her sides.

Ashley watched the exchange, eyes narrowing as it continued. As Madison yelled, something sparked within her, something she had long ago forgotten. When the other girl raised her arm to strike the cowering blonde with tears in her eyes, Ashley was up like a shot, making her way to Madison and gripping her forearm with inhuman speed. The raging Latina looked up, shocked by the interruption. "Ash…?"

--

"Ashley!" The cry pierces through the quiet night, waking Ashley instantly. She jumps up, throwing the covers off her naked body. She yanks on some sweatpants and a white t-shirt as Jess mumbles into a pillow, still asleep. Another shout comes from the direction of Kyla's room this time cut off as all Ashley hears is "Ash…!"

She wrenches the door open and sprints down the hall, messy hair flying behind her. When she reaches her sister's door, she doesn't bother to knock, turning the handle. It doesn't budge, locked. She pounds on the door, yelling for Kyla to open it. Her knocks go unheeded for a minute and, by the time it opens, she has thrown her shoulder against it so much that it aches horribly. Her father stands in the doorway, swaying slightly, holding the doorframe to stay upright.

Ashley steps back, startled by his appearance. "Dad?"

"Hi honey." He grins drunkenly.

"Ashley?" A small voice calls from inside the room. Ashley pushes her father aside, making him stumble and almost fall, and goes to the little girl sitting curled up in a corner of the room. Her sleeping tee is torn slightly at the collar, a piece of fabric hanging down and exposing marks on her soft skin. Tears stream down her face, leaving little tracks.

Ashley picks up the whimpering girl without hesitation and her sister buries her face in Ashley's neck. She can feel the wetness on her skin as she turns back to her father, still standing by the door. "What happened?" Her eyes were hard, cutting into the obviously tipsy man.

"Wha? Nothin' happened. She was jus' sittin' there when I came'n."

"Tha's not true." A tiny voice mumbled into Ashley's neck.

She looked down and pulled her little sister's head away from her skin, tucking a stray piece of hair back with her free hand as the other supported the slight weight. "What honey?"

"I said, that's not true." She wiped wet eyes with the back of her hands. "I was sleepin' when Daddy came in here."

"Hey, you shuddup, you little liar!" Raife yelled, stepping forward.

"Kyla, stay behind me," Ashley muttered in her sister's ear as she set the girl down. She stepped in front of her and faced her drunken father with a fierce glare. "What'd you do to her, dad?"

"Nothin', how many times I gotta fuckin' …," he closes his eyes, swallowing hard as he sways unsteadily, "how many times I gotta say it?"

"Maybe 'til I believe you."

"I didn' touch tha' little b-bitch."

"But daddy…" Kyla peers out from behind Ashley's back.

"You shuddup!" He points a menacing finger at the little girl cowering behind Ashley. She shrank back once again, whimpering slightly.

"Get out of here." Ashley's voice is low, menacing and her father looks up in surprise, attention diverted from the littler girl behind his older daughter.

"Honey…"

"Just get out, dad," she spits out the word, like poison, "before I make you get out." He remains for a few more seconds, staring at his daughter like she had gone crazy. Eventually, he decided it wasn't worth fighting about and left the room, tilting dangerously as he traveled down the hall, muttering obscenities under his breathe.

Ashley's shoulders visibly relaxed as the man stumbled out of the room. She turned and crouched down to talk to her little sister, who looked a hundred times calmer now that her father was gone. "Are you alright, baby?" Kyla nodded, eyes still full of fright. "OK, let's get you to bed."

She picked the little girl up and, after taking her to the adjoining bathroom to clean her up a bit and giving her a clean shirt to wear (one she recognized as one of her own), she put her in bed. She tucked her in and kissed the little girl's forehead, lingering for a second.

When she turned to leave, her little sister called out to her, voice frightened.

"Yeah, Kyla?"

"Stay with me? Please." Ashley smiled warmly and nodded, slipping in beside her little sister and taking her into her arms.

"Now go to sleep, Kye." She did, slowly. But Ashley remained awake through the night, watching the door intently. Her father didn't return that night, he usually didn't.

Jess found her early in the morning, giving her an understanding smile as she opened the door and found her lover. Ashley slid out of the bed, careful not to disturb her sister. She went to the other girl's side, giving her an apologetic look and a warm kiss.

"It happened again?" Ashley nodded and Jess sighed.

They left the room and went back to their own bedroom. Ashley removed her clothes and slipped under the covers, pulling her girl close. Jess sighed and relaxed into Ashley's strong arms.

A few moments after they settled, Ashley spoke. "It won't happen again, Jess. I won't let it."

Jess stared at the wall, refusing to look back into Ashley's eyes. She was afraid of what she would find there. "I know."

--

"Don't you fucking dare, Madison." The girl looked into Ashley's eyes with fear, catching her breathe as Ashley's grip tightened painfully.

"But Ashley, this little bitch…"

Ashley left no room for interruption, "Just leave her alone." She flung the other girl away, crouching down and regarding the girl trembling on the ground.

But Madison didn't stop. "What's your fucking problem? You should be right beside me. She ruined everything!"

But Ashley didn't budge, and a hard note came into her voice. Not many could argue with the fierce edge in it. "I said stop. I won't tell you again." But Madison didn't heed the other girl's warning, continuing with her rant.

"Fuck you, I'm not gonna stop this time. She needs to go, Ash'."

"I said stop!" Ashley stood, anger seeping from her pores as her fists clenched. Madison ignored her reaction.

"You've got a soft spot for that bitch and I don't know why, but she doesn't belong here. She's just a fucking nuisance. I want her…" She didn't finish her sentence – couldn't – as a fist flew out and hit her across the face. She stumbled back with a cry and tripped over her own feet, falling on her ass. She clutched the injured part of her head, tears springing to her eyes at the stinging pain.

"I told you to stop." Her voice was deadly. Madison's eyes were wide with fear, Spencer's too. Both girls shrank back from the livid girl before them, but Ashley seemed to calm as seconds passed and no one spoke. Her shoulder's dropped, fists loosening.

"Fuck…I-I'm sorry, Mads. I don't…I don't know what happened." Madison relaxed slightly, but she wasn't sure. "Ah…c'mon, let's get out of here." She grinned and picked up the only remaining pack. She began walking.

When the other girls didn't follow, she turned back with a broad smile. "You comin'?"