A/N. Hey guys, thanks for reading this still! And now, a message for you awesome people who are commenting and making me so happy :)
Sexy Mami - hmm, a son? I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. And if she did have a son...then who with? Hmm, we shall see.
Kyden and yo gurl jackie- Thanks so much! You have no idea how giddy I get when people say that they like my stuff. 10 extra cool points for you guys!
FiresOfDeath - Don't worry, Ashley will be brought into the story soon enough. After all, it IS called a Spashley story.
SoNer - I'm sorry to hear that you think my story is too ordinary. I'm glad you liked the beginning, but know that I do plan on going darker as the story progresses. If you feel like sticking around..great. If not, then I'm sorry I let ya down.
Whitnie and BROOKLYNDEB - All shall soon be revealed on who "he" is. Oh, I love mysteries!
And now, my update!
Chapter Six
Haley placed the plates on the table, hoping that Ashley would show up. Although she hadn't been there for the notorious Spencer-Ashley-Nuclear War, from what Aiden has told her, these girls belonged together. And that was all that Haley needed to know. She had met Ashley a few years back, and instantly felt connected to the girl. Ashley has had her share of life problems, and Haley wanted nothing more than to see her happy. She didn't understand why Spencer and Ashley hadn't spoken for five years. If she loved somebody as much as Ashley loved Spencer, there would be no force strong enough to keep them apart. She felt warm arms wrap around her stomach and she leaned into the comforting embrace.
"And how's my little mastermind?" Aiden joked, grinning as he kissed his fiancé's neck.
"Mmm, fine. I'm just hoping that Spashley-War part 2 doesn't happen."
"Yeah, me too. Because then both of us will be buried in the debris," Aiden said, half-joking, half-serious. "Hell hath no fury like 2 women scorned…and then tricked into seeing each other again." Haley groaned at this.
A knock at the door brought an anxious tension to the apartment. Aiden kissed Haley on the cheek before answering the door.
Spencer stood outside Aiden's door, waiting for him to open it. She couldn't help smiling around those two, especially now that they were having a baby. She rocked back and forth on her heels, humming softly. The door opened to reveal Haley, a tense smile forced onto her face. "Spencer," she said, expanding her name a little too long for Spencer's liking.
"Haley, what's…what's going on?" she asked warily, trying to peek into the apartment.
"Nothing, nothing…come on in," she grabbed Spencer and pulled her into the apartment, glancing sideways into the hallways before closing the door. She turned and faced the confused blonde. "How are you? Can I take your coat? Oh, you don't have a coat. California, warm…got it. Oh! Would you like a drink? We have vodka!" She plastered a grin on her face, searching the room for Aiden.
"Um, sure," Spencer replied, wondering if Haley's hormones were wonky. Her eyes scanned the room, noticing the few eccentricities that Haley had added to the apartment. Spencer liked Haley, she was fun and caring and perfect for Aiden. Spencer could even overlook Haley's tendency to try and fix every problem that came her way, even when it didn't directly involve her. Her heart was always in the right place, and Spencer could appreciate that. Plus, Haley made Aiden happy…and that was reason enough to like the girl.
Aiden came out of the bedroom and headed towards the living room. Before he could reach the room, Haley grabbed him and pulled him into the kitchen. "Ow, what are you…?" Aiden began, only to be shushed by Haley's hand covering his mouth.
"Shh, she'll hear you," Haley hissed.
Aiden removed her hand and he furrowed his brow. "And this would be bad because…?"
"Because Ashley will be here any minute now."
"Uh-uh, you cannot drag me into this. You were the one who invited Spencer here. You were the one who invited Ashley here. And, if I remember correctly, you were the one who ignored me when I told you that it was a bad idea. This is you problem now, Hales." He crossed his arms in a 'this matter is closed. Score one for Aiden' manner. He looked down at his fiancé, who's normally happy face was sullen. "It's ok, just blame it on the hormones. They'll forgive you."
Haley slapped him playfully on the arm. "Not funny, Aide." She peered around the corner to look at Spencer, who was now sitting on the couch. "She's going to kill me, isn't she?"
Aiden looked at Spencer and then returned his gaze to his fiancé. "Oh yeah, so dead."
"Hey guys, what's going on?" Spencer called from the other room.
Haley and Aiden peered around the corner, fake grins plastered on their faces. "Nothing," they replied in unison before retreating back into the kitchen.
"Oh yeah, nothing weird about that," Spencer said to herself. They had been acting odd tonight…well, more odd than usual. A picture suddenly caught her eye and she moved toward the mantle. It was Ashley. It was a picture of Ashley, Spencer and Aiden at the beach years ago. Her eyes stung slightly as the memory flooded back.
"Ashley!" Spencer giggled as Ashley threw her soaking wet body onto the sand. "Watch out for my castle!"
Ashley flipped onto her stomach and gazed at Spencer's creation. "Nice castle, Spence. But it's such a nice day and the water is so nice. Don't you want to come swimming with me?" Spencer shook her head and Ashley jutted out her lower lip in a pout. "Please?" Spencer remained content building her masterpiece in the sand. "Come on Spencer, do you really want to spend all day building something that will be washed away at night?"
Spencer frowned, "Fort Carlin will last forever." She added a flag, made from a leaf and a stick, to the top and smiled proudly at Ashley. "See, all done!"
Ashley couldn't help but smile at how adorable Spencer was. She moved closer to Spencer, glancing around quickly before kissing Spencer softly on the lips. "You're right Princess, I think this really could last forever. The castle, I mean." She brushed the sand off of Spencer's cheek. "I promise that I'll never let anything ruin it." She leaned forward to kiss Spencer again, but instead received a face-full of sand. "Ack!" she gasped, shaking off the sand particles from her face and hair. "What the…"
"Hey guys, the water's great!" Aiden said, beaming as he dripped water onto the girls.
"Aiden! Watch the castle!" Spencer yelled, throwing her towel at the boy.
"Boys always ruin the perfect moments," Ashley grumbled.
Aiden threw his hands up in defense. "Ok, I'm sorry." He grinned, "Come on, picture time. We can document Spencer's little castle."
"Fort Carlin," Spencer said proudly.
"Right…Fort Carlin," Aiden repeated slowly. He grinned and threw his camera to a friend from the basketball team. "Hey Dave, take a picture of me and my ladies, dude." The three huddled in front of Fort Carlin and smiled. "Say threesome!" Aiden yelled.
Just before the flash went off, Ashley turned her head, whispered, "I love you," into Spencer's ear. She placed a gentle kiss on Spencer's cheek. The grin on the blonde's face grew wider as the camera captured this moment. A moment that Spencer would never forget.
"Spencer, are you ok?" Aiden asked, placing his hand on her shoulder. He had walked into the room and instantly noticed the look of longing on Spencer's face. He hated to see her so upset. Aiden knew that this night could very well destroy Spencer.
She turned her tear-filled eyes toward Aiden and sighed. She hadn't expected that one photo, one look at Ashley could make her heart ache. She hadn't realized just how much she had missed the brunette. She took a deep breath, shuddering as she tried to release the tension that was built up inside her chest. She struggled to hold back the pain that suddenly took hold of her body. "I'm fine Aiden," she lied. "I guess that I just…I didn't realize how much I miss her."
Aiden opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off by a soft knock on the door. "I'll get it," Aiden heard Haley shout from the door.
"Oh crap," Aiden whispered, receiving a confused glance from Spencer. Her gaze was drawn towards the door where Haley now stood with a short brunette. The new arrival wore tight jeans, a black tank-top, and a wary look on her face. Her dark, curly hair settled just below her shoulders. Piercing, yet soulful brown eyes met confused, shocked blue ones as the girls stared at a vision from their past. Spencer would know this girl anywhere.
"Ashley?" she whispered.