Chapter 13

Hey guys! Sorry for the wait but I'm back!

Disclaimer: Everyone knows I don't own SON

Ashley's POV

I feel the blood slowly drain from my face. Subconsciously my arm tightens around the smaller woman's shoulders.

Cautiously I ask, "Abusive? What do you mean abusive?" My voice trembles with barely controlled anger.

How dare someone lay a finger on such a wonderfully softhearted and gentle woman?

Spencer sniffles against my shoulder then takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. "Aidan hated me. He always has. Even before we were married I could tell he did; he would just look at me with this guise in his eyes, like he blamed me for ruining his life. I didn't even know him a week before our wedding day."

My brow furrows in bewilderment. "Did you have an arranged marriage, Darlin'?"

She takes a shaky breath before nodding against me. God, I couldn't even imagine being forced into marrying some random person. Isn't marriage supposed to be all about love and joy? Where is the love in marrying a complete stranger? They'd have to hunt me down first…

I squeeze her hand tenderly, silently asking her to continue.

She fiddles with my dog tags that are hanging over the collar of my black flannel shirt. "I didn't want to marry him but my mother and father insisted saying that he was a perfect match for me and that he was a successful business man. That he could make me happy. So I did. The first few weeks of our marriage was silent but very tense. It was like the slightest little thing could knock it off balance…and eventually the silence did end."

I bring up my hand to catch the noiseless tears rolling down her cheek. I place my chin on the top of her silky blonde head, allowing her to nestle her tear moist cheek against my neck. I don't like where this discussion is going. Not at all.

"I gotcha, Spence." I mumble encouragingly in her hair, inhaling the sweet fragrance of brown sugar.

She clasps my hand in between both of her's in acknowledgement. "It came out of nowhere but I guess-looking back- I should have seen it coming…the first time he hit me-"

She cuts herself off and it takes me a few seconds to realize why. My arms are shaking in repressed fury and I'm lowly growling deep in my chest. Immediately , I cut myself off and force my movements to seize. God, I can't believe I'm reacting this strongly…but I can't help it. It feels as though I have this incredible connection with this gorgeous little woman that is impossible to ignore. This morning when I woke up to find her snuggled in my arms on her couch it felt normal and comfortable. It felt right. I never wanted to left her go.

"I'm sorry," I apologize quickly, "I just- I um…continue Darlin'."

"It's okay…anyway the first time that he hit me was during our first real argument over me wanting to starting college. I had just turned eighteen two weeks before our wedding and even though he had a steady career I wanted one of my own. A career I could love and be proud of… eventually he agreed and I got to get my teaching degree." She pauses and lets out a shuttering sigh, "But even though he let me go he still expected everything at home to be how he thought it should be. Everything had to be perfect. If it wasn't he would get very violent… the first time he beat me was my first day of classes. I had just walked through the door when he grabbed me and threw me against the wall and-" Her words get choked by a sob.

I pull the distraught yet still stunning young woman into my arms and held her tight. "Shhhh, honey. It's gonna be alright."

After another couple of minutes she pulls a few inches away from my neck and begins again. "When I told my mother what had happened she told me that I deserved it, that I did something wrong and it needed to be corrected."

My eyes widened in astonishment. "She what!" I whisper harshly so I would scare her by yelling, "How can a mother condone her daughter's husband raisin' a hand to her? What about your Pa?"

She shrugs. "He just stood there not saying a word just as he always does."

I shake my head in disgust. If I were there I would have cut that man's balls off with my hunting knife.

"I'm so sorry Darlin'. You shouldn't have had to go through that." I tell her softly.

She moves her head off my shoulder and looks over at her sons who are playing in a big colorful sandbox a few yards away. "As long as he stayed away from Scott and Sky he could hurt me all he wanted."

I stiffen. "He never hurt 'em did he?"

Spencer shakes her head rapidly. "No. I never let him get close to them like that. I kept his attention on me…When the twins were born I secretly hoped it would bring out a gentler side to him."

I cleared my throat. "Did it? At all."

She runs her hand through her hair tiredly. "No. It made him worse."

My breath catches in my chest. "Worse?"

"Instead of him getting really angry every other day or so he started doing it every day…even in front of my entire family."

"And they didn't do anythin'?"

"My older brother Glen would protect me but after I went home there was nothing he could do, our mother wouldn't allow him to. She would threaten him. That's why he and his wife Madison sent me here." She stayed silent for a minute before turning to me. "Can we go home, Ash?"

When I nod, she stands and goes to step away from me; before she could I grab her wrist. She turns and looks back at me with tear filled eyes. "I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. Never. I promise."

The tears spill over and I pull her into a tight hug. "Thank you." She whispers through her cries.

I just constrict my arms around her small frame in answer.

No one will come close to this girl or her beautiful boys. I'll make sure of that.

1:27

As Spencer and I walk through the front door the boys grab their toys they had abandoned earlier this morning and race upstairs with Rocco trailing right behind them. Spencer releases my arm that she was holding onto so she could head into the kitchen. I follow deftly after her.

"Are you hungry?" she asks without turning around.

I shallow nervously as my eyes track her sinuous curves as she stretches to grab a bowl from the top shelf. I shake my head and internally scowled myself. "Um, yes ma'am. But why don't I make you somethin' for a change? Since you have been cookin' for me. Plus I cried on ya this mornin' so I kinda owe ya." I add sheepishly.

Spencer chuckles while shaking her head at me. "No, that's fine Ashley. I love to cook…and I cried on you to so I think we are even there."

I shrug my shoulders and wring my baseball cap in my hands. "If you insist…"

She smiles shyly at me. "I do."

I return the smile with a grin of my own. "Okay. If ya need me I'll be fixin' on your bedroom window. It's probably been lettin' the cool air out through that gap."

She nods and pulls a thing of carrots out of the fridge. "Okay."

I turn to walk away but her soft voice stops me. "Ashley?"

"Yeah?"

She shuffles around timidly. "Thank you for, you know, listening."

My eyes soften. "No problem honey. If you ever need to talk I'm here. Okay?"

She cocks her head to the side cutely and scruffs her tennis shoe against the tile. "Thank you…If you ever need someone to listen I will."

I nod. "I'll remember that. Thanks, Darlin'."

6:40

I'm kneeling by Spencer's bedroom window trying to slip the glass back in place when my cell phone rings.

I fumble for the piece of plastic in my back pocket, answering it without looking at the caller ID "Hello?"

"Gunnery Sargent Davies, what the hell are you doing?" Raife yells in my ear, a drunken slur evident in his voice.

I pull the phone way from my face with a wince. "I'm workin'. What else would I be doin'?"

He grunts. "Working? Yeah right you're sitting at that bar gambling with the other flops in this God forsaken town or chasing some girl who deserves better."

I roll my eyes and repress all unbelieving growl. "First off, Raife, they ain't flops; they're honorable veterans. Secondly, what in the hell would give you that idea?"

Raife scoffs. "Yeah. Sure. Honorable veterans. What like you? How are your pain pills treating you, Gunny? They help numb a guilty conscious as well?"

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. I slam my fist into the wall in frustration. "What do you want?" I bellow.

"You gone."

Anger melts away to confusion. "What?

"I want you out of my house, I want your shit out, I want your horses off my property, and I want you to stay away." He slurs indignantly.

I blink rapidly in shock. "What? What are you talkin' 'bout? You're kickin' me out? What the hell did I do?" Rocco walks over to me, forcing his body under my arm to nuzzle my ribcage in an effort to comfort me. He lets a soft whine escape when I don't respond.

"I know what you have been doing behind everyone's back Gunnery Sergeant. Did you really believe that no one would find out about your little affair with your best friend's wife?"

I nearly drop the phone. How in the hell did he find out about that? There's no way Amy would have said anything…Right? "What are you talkin' 'bout?"

He laughs humorlessly. "Don't play dumb with me ya little shit. Amy went to Granny Rose's last night and got wasted. My buddy Davey told me she just burst into tears and told Granny all about this whole affair. How long were you disrespecting Shawn, Gunnery Sergeant? Did you slip into his bed before or after he died? Did you let him get gunned down just so you could take his wife? I bet you did!"

I stand up and glare down at the floor boards, shaking with a red hot fury. "Don't you dare accuse me of somethin' like that again you worthless piece of shit! I'll come and get my stuff from your fuckin' house and you better hope I don't see your meaningless drunken hide when I do!" I snap my phone shut and throw it against the wall.

I fall to my knees and place my forehead on the cool glass of the new window.

How dare he say that to me! I know I loved Shawn more than anyone in this damn town. I can't believe they would think so low of me I believe I let him died…. I may have done many things but that… God! These people make me sick.

I open my eyes and watch as Spencer and the boys play on the tire swings she had me set up the day before. The blonde woman smiles brightly as she gently pushes both her sons back and forth. The little children laugh in delight at the slow movement of the wore tires. Just watching the three of them sends warmth through my bones, chasing my icy fury away.

I watch them for another minute or two before going to retrieve my cell phone, which is thankful unbroken, and to start collecting my tools.

I just make it to the bottom of the staircase when the two blondes and the little brunette walk through the front door. All three have giant smiles on their faces.

"Hey, Ashy! Mommy's getting food. You hungwy?" Scott asks me excitedly with his quieter half nodding along with him.

I'm about to decline when Spencer smiles and shakes her head in agreement. "I'll make you a plate while you put your stuff away if you like. I made a roast." She tells me happily as she helps Skylar take off his shoes.

I set down my tool boxes and help Scotty remove his sneakers. "Sure thing Spence. I'll be right back." I say with a small smile.

Yanking my tool box up I head out to my truck. After I secure it to the truck's bed I grab a coffee can full of Rocco's dog food from the bag in the cab to dump it in a bowl by the porch. Rocco licks my clothed forearm in thanks before digging in. I smile and pat his back as I step up the stairs.

When I make it in the dining room Spencer has already set everything out and was trying to prevent the twins from grabbing their plates.

"Look! Ashy's back!" Spencer says happily, pointing in my direction.

I raise an eyebrow at her.

She shrugs. "It's polite to wait." She says in explanation.

"Ya'll didn't have to do that." I inform her, my mouth watering as I take in the awesome meal in front of me.

The blonde tilts her head cutely and smiles. It's quiet as the four of us eat besides the quiet side conversation between the toddlers.

"So," Spencer says shyly, which causes another smile to grace my face, "I think I know what I want to do with the spare room."

I look away from my dinner to look at her in interest. "Well, lay it on me, Darlin'."

She clears her throat. "Remember how I said I got my teaching degree?"

I shake my head in affirmative.

"Well, my degree was in photography and art." She continues.

I smile at her. I think I have an idea at where this is going. "Do ya want me to make it into a studio?"

She grins widely and shakes her head up and down excitedly. "Do you think you could do that? Maybe make the little storage area in there into a dark room as well?"

I laugh heartily. "Could I? Why of course! It'll be fun, but we'll have to go into town so we can get the right stuff…" I trail off thinking about the situation my father kindly alerted me to, "Which that reminds me. Um, I won't be able to come here for a few days. I gotta go find me a place to stay."

Disappointment flashes through her eyes but it quickly vanishes and concern floods her eyes. "What happened at your father's? If you don't mind me asking."

I shift uncomfortably. "He, uh, kicked me out earlier today."

"Oh my goodness! Why would he do that?" She said in alarm.

I sigh. "It's kinda stupid, but it's not important."

We fall silent but it only lasts a second. "Do you have a place to stay? Until you find a place?"

I shrug carelessly. "Eh, Rocco and I can sleep in the truck. No big thing."

He baby blue eyes alight with a bright fire that surprises me. "Oh no, you can't do that!"

I place my hand on top of her's. "I'll be fine. I slept in worse places when I was still in the military."

She shakes her head and abruptly stands up from the table and beelines for the front door. I jump up the follow her by time I'm to the porch she is in my truck snatching my bag out of the back seat.

"You are not living in this old truck, Ash. I can't let you do that." She says with uncharacteristic firmness.

"What are ya doin' Darlin'?" I question as she swiftly makes her way into the house. She turns to me and hands me my bag before pointing towards to couch. "I have a couch and I insist that you stay here."

I watch her move up the stairs, my mouth agape and eyes wide at her straightforwardness.

I couldn't say no even if I wanted to.

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