Here is the last of the updates before I go on a trip for a few days. I absolutely love the reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

The Great Love

Part One (Continued)

VIII.

sixteen: I fell in love with a girl as sweet as can be

There's a speck of dirt on Ashley's palm. She rubs at it furiously, leaving a red patch on her skin, but it's still there. She sighs with frustration and lets the hand drop, shifting the weight of the pack over her shoulder.

"Ash'?" Madison comes up behind her, cautious. Spencer stays several feet behind the girls, silent and repentant.

Ashley turns her head, eyebrows raised. "Yeah?"

"I think…I think we need to talk."

"About what?" Ashley acts like she's oblivious, and it would almost work for anyone who didn't know her like Madison. She had seen too many walls drop to let them deceive her now.

"Don't do that."

Ashley sighs. "Let's just drop it, 'k? There's nothin' to talk about."

"I think there's a lot to talk about." Madison is relentless, something Ashley both hates and loves about her.

"Well, you're wrong." Ashley is stubborn, something Madison both hates and loves about her.

"Jesus, Ash', are we ever going to say anything about your past, or are we just going to ignore it forever?"

"Ignore it." Her reply is short, clipped. A hint of a grin starts at the corners of her mouth.

Madison shakes her head, forcing her own smile back, "You're such a bitch."

"Fuck you." She smirks openly, shoving the other girl lightly. Madison stumbles and laughs. The twisted, bright mood stays for several minutes, and they walk side by side with light steps. But Madison always has to ruin everything, or so Ashley thinks.

"We still have to talk."

"Don't wanna." Ashley's voice is small, petulant.

"Stop being stupid." Madison always gets tired of Ashley's games, at some point.

"Can't we just leave it alone, Mads? Please?" She sounds like such a child; it makes Ashley's blood boil at her own juvenile behavior. There is no room for children in the world of the New Regime.

"What's so bad about it?"

"Everything." It's said in a whisper; Madison can barely hear it. "We were OK and then…fuck, everything just went to shit." She glanced back at Spencer, who was looking at the ground, oblivious to the serious nature of their conversation. "I…I miss them, Mads. I miss them so much."

"I know. I miss my family, too." There is silence for several minutes, both war-hardened girls lost in a thousand memories of people they would never see again. "What were they like?"

"We were…OK. And then we weren't, for awhile. But we were always a family, one way or another. The War…it changed things. I don't think my dad knew how to deal."

"And your sister?" From the little Ashley had revealed to her in the years that they had known each other, Madison knew who the basic members were. But Ashley didn't say much else about them.

"She was…amazing. I mean, she never let it bother her. She kept me from losing it completely. She was the only person besides…"

"…Jess?" Ashley had talked even less about her dead girlfriend than she had about other family members.

Ashley spent a few moments to collect herself and fell into her story, tripping over the words slightly, "I remember thinking 'That girl is the most beautiful person I've ever seen.' when I first met her. She was working in the house, helping our maid out. I was…not too nice a kid before her. I really think she saved me.

"God, I wanted to fuck her so bad when I laid eyes on her for the first time. She had long, dark hair and these huge green eyes. And man, she had curves. But she wasn't about to give in to me." Ashley grinned, reminiscing. "I pursued her for months before she would even let me take her out on a date. Then, when I dropped her off and leaned in for that devastating kiss of mine…," Ashley wiggled her eyebrows playfully and Madison laughed dutifully, but she could see the pain behind the action, "…she totally blocked me, actually put a hand in front of my face. I was totally embarrassed and fucking pissed off. Didn't talk to anyone for a week.

"Then, I saw her at the mansion again. It was this absolutely beautiful summer day, a soft breeze moving the curtains. Kyla was outside and I could hear her laughing through the open window." For some reason, this hit a note with Madison. She glanced back to the still solemn blonde behind them. "Then, I went up to her and said 'I'm a bitch, I'm spoiled, I love sex, but I hate people and I especially hate dealing with them…yet, still, I like you'. It was the dumbest, most unsure thing I've ever said, but it worked. A year later, she was living with us and we were happy. For the most part."

"The War changed everything," Madison murmured.

Ashley looked away, blinking wetness away. "Yeah."

--

They set up camp later that day, both girls working in silent comfort. Spencer stood out of the way, as per usual.

As they all sat down to eat their meager meal, Ashley spoke. "We'll figure things out." Her voice was quiet and hoarse, but sure. "All of us. You included, Spencer. You're part of this now, no matter what you do."

Madison swallowed and cleared her throat, drawing both girls' attention. "I'm sorry, Spence'. You didn't deserve me blowing up on you."

"No, I'm sor…"

"It's done. You don't need to apologize." Ashley's tone was firm and Spencer let her mouth close, sentence unfinished.

"I really am sorry, though." For some unknown reason, Spencer seemed to need it, to tell them this.

"We know."

--

"I'm sorry." Ashley hasn't said these words more than ten times since she was five. They feel odd in her mouth, lips stumbling over them.

"You don't need to apologize. It's just who you are, Ashley. I shouldn't expect more from you." Jess is inexplicably beautiful to Ashley in this moment: hair tangled, clothes messy, and eyes full of a something that she's never seen before. She wants to see it again.

"I want you to expect things from me; I want to be those things." She pauses for a moment, emotions surging in her throat. "I want you, Jess."

"You can do that all you want; you'll have to work to get this prize." Her grin turns mischievous and enticing, green eyes sparkling with lingering wetness.

"I'm willing." Ashley's smile is just as wide.

--

"Go to sleep, Ashley," Jess mutters from underneath a pillow. She can feel a pair of eyes on her from the other side of the bed, a prickling feeling in her skull. A beam of sunlight comes into the room through a crack in the shades, illuminating the untidy room.

"Don't wanna."

One green eye peers out behind the white pillow and a mess of dark hair. "What are you so excited about?"

"You. I'm always excited about you being here, with me."

She shakes her head, rolls her eyes and buries her head below the pillow once again. A few seconds pass. She turns back over to see Ashley (still smiling, still almost giddy with excitement) and she allows a slow smile to form as the other girl leans over to lay a sweet kiss on her lips. It tastes like love.