Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. And I'm poor.
Author's Note: Ask and ye shall receive! Well, better late than never right? Right? Sorry!
Chatper 11
The next morning Spence awoke to her cell phone ringing right by her head. After a few moments of confusion she remembered falling asleep to Ashley's pleads to come back to her house and spend the rest of the next day in bed. If Spencer had had any more strength she would have, but as it was she fell asleep whispering promises of days to come.
She grinned and opened her phone with a loving sigh, "Hey baby."
There was a long pause as Spencer began to panic, then a voice definitely not belonging to Ashley answered. "Well at least this means you two didn't spend last night together."
Spencer cringed and let go a string of curses in her head. Slowly sitting up she ran her hand through her bed hair. "Yep, just keep looking for the positive side of things Mom."
Spencer was struck with the grateful realization that she had fallen asleep before the inevitable phone sex that last night's conversation with Ashley had been headed towards. There was no way she could speak to her mom on the same phone ever again.
"So what do you want Mom?"
"I would like you to come visit me this afternoon, with your brother's of course. I'm staying at my friend's apartment. Clay knows how to get here. I…I really miss you."
Spencer felt her heart clench. She missed her mom as well, and she knew she would end up going, but she couldn't help but ask, "Guy friend?"
Spencer heard her mom sigh, "Actually no, although I am welcome to have friends who are male. But I knew it would be awkward for you and your brothers so I found a room with one of the nurses. Female nurse."
"Sure mom. I'll stop by, but please promise me we won't…"
"That's great sweetie! I'll see you soon!" her mom interrupted, punctuating the end of her sentence with a dial tone.
"…argue about me and Ashley. Thanks mom, I love you too," Spencer informed said dial tone. Hanging up the phone she headed towards the shower to wake herself up.
After her shower, wrapped only in a towel, Spencer found herself desperately trying to find the appropriate clothing to impress her mother.
If I can play this right, maybe she won't be so disappointed in me. Why do all my clothes seem excessively slutty all of a sudden?
Her cell phone ringing interrupted her thoughts. This time she made sure to check who it was before answering. "Hey, I'm naked."
"Daaaamn, you know how to wake a girl up Spence! But are you really or is this some cruel joke?"
Spencer looked down at her towel and then with a shrug dropped it, and continued to search for clothing. "Yes, now I am."
Great, in two seconds I go from trying to impress my mom to stripping for my girlfriend over the phone. I've been spending a little too much time with a certain brunette beauty.
"That's so hot. You're coming over here today right? No, scratch that, you stay where you are, exactly as you are, and I'll be over before you even know it. Seriously."
"I have a better idea. How about tonight I come over to you and I promise you your own personal strip tease. Or maybe I'll even let you take my clothes off. Where's the fun in me being already naked?"
Spencer laughed as Ashley's breath caught. "Oh, believe me, there's a lot of fun in it. You better not be teasing me Spencer Carlin, because I don't know if you've noticed it but you are a natural tease, even though I want you like it's no one's business," she finally managed to say, stumbling over her words.
Spencer laughed again. Yes, she knew she teased Ashley relentlessly, but this time was different. She meant what she had told Madison, she wanted to be Ashley's last. She wanted to be Ashley's everything.
"I mean it Ash," she said softly. "Tonight, you, me, and nothing else in between."
"I have to go shower," Ashley said suddenly, "or something. Anything. I need to get off…the phone! I need to get off the phone, I will see you tonight," she finished up and once again Spencer was left with a dial tone.
"Doesn't anyone end a phone conversation with 'bye' anymore?" Spencer wondered out loud pulling a button down oxford shirt and black skirt out of her drawers.
Yes! The perfect conservative outfit to impress mom. And catholic school girl enough to impress Ashley. I am great at this multitasking thing!
The drive to her mom's temporary (or so Spencer kept telling herself, because really, they are the Brady's and everything will work out in the end) apartment was an awkward one. Glen was his usual sullen self and Clay seemed jumpy. He kept glancing over at Spencer with an almost apologetic look on his face before looking away. Every time Spencer asked her brothers if things were okay she got the brush off.
"Oh yeah, no, things are fine. Don't even worry about it."
"I'm bypassing worried and heading straight into paranoid my friends."
If Spencer had nothing else to occupy her mind she would have put deeper thought into the odd behavior of her brothers, but as it was she allowed herself to slip deep into a fantasy involving Ashley and a hot tub.
It wasn't until they finally arrived that Spencer let her mind return to her current situation. Getting out of the car, she nervously straightened her skirt and messed with her hair. She was actually excited to see her mother and that hadn't happened since they had moved to LA. Maybe a little time apart was what everyone needed.
It was when her mom opened the door and invited them into the living room with a strange man sitting on the sofa that Spencer gave up ever trusting her mother again.
You stupid, naïve fool! When will you learn! she chastised herself.
"I have to say mom, your nurses are looking rather masculine these days," she said.
Paula looked surprised and then quickly jumped to defend herself, "Oh no, Spencer this isn't who I'm living with. This is Dave, he's here for you."
Finding that out made Spencer feel even worse. "Okay, I get that you don't want me to be with girls, but mom, setting me up? This guy looks to be about 50, no offense Dave, and I still have an age limit. And I'm happy with Ashley!" Spencer found her voice rising to a yell by the time she said her girlfriend's name.
Dave stood and reached out towards Spencer, "You're confused Spencer. We're all here because we love you, and you have a problem."
The world suddenly seemed to slam into Spencer as everything came to a jarring stop. She looked over at Clay who refused to meet her eyes and even Glen looked bothered by what was going on. Slowly this whole invite began to make sense.
"Are you saying we're having an intervention because of my sexual orientation?" Spencer whispered, feelings of betrayal removing all the sweetness that normally laced her voice. "Is that even possible?"
"It is rare," Dave agreed, "but your mom obviously cares about you very much, and she found my center…"
"Get out!" Spencer interrupted. She walked over to the front door, yanking it open. "Get out now! This is between me and my family. And if you don't leave, I will. You hear that mom? I will leave and Ashley will come get me, because she actually loves me, and I will never speak to you again."
After exchanging words with her mother Dave did leave, Spencer making sure the door did actually hit his ass on the way out. She was seething. She located the bathroom on her own and splashed cold water onto her face in hopes of cooling off. She actually felt her body might explode.
She opened the door to reveal Clay looking abashed. "I'm sorry Spence. She's my mom and…the Bible says it's wrong…I just didn't know what to do. But I shouldn't have done this to you."
Spencer just bit her lip feeling tears welling up in her eyes.
"And you should know that Glen doesn't really want to be here either, despite how it may seem. But you know Glen, he's self absorbed. He's worried about how other people might view him. He wanted to try his best to change your mind, but if he can't, he'll just start complaining about other ways we embarrass him. Do you know how long it took him to get over me being black? Like it's something we can control."
Spencer's head jerked up at "we" in the last sentence, desperately searching Clay's eyes for understanding.
"I really am sorry baby sister. Nobody deserves to be ambushed, least of all you," he finally whispered as she threw herself into his arms. He held her tight for a few minutes and then together they walked back into the living room.
"Spencer, that was very rude," Paula began.
"Just shut up mom. I'm tired of all this. What really is your problem with who I love? I've been trying to work it out and I just don't understand. I like to think it's not just because you don't want to see me happy."
"Don't be silly, I want all my children to be…"
Spencer just went on, ignoring her mother. "Is it because of the bible saying it's wrong? Because really, I've done a little looking into that. Did you know in that whole Lot debacle, he offers the villagers his daughter instead of the man they want? I mean what is that teaching me? Homosexuality bad but gang rape good?"
"There's actually more to the story then that, it's about…"
"And then don't even get me started on the hypocrisy! Doesn't the bible also say no to coveting thy…work's…doctor…or something? Don't covet mother!"
"I haven't coveted anything!"
"I'm not done yet, thanks. And you can't hang up on me this time," Spencer said, noticing Glen looking rather amused out of the corner of her eye. "And what is your problem?"
"I was just thinking I could really admire this take charge Spencer," her big brother said with a wink.
It threw Spencer off her tirade just long enough for Paula to finally get a word in. "I love you Spencer, you are my baby."
"Funny way of showing it."
"You just have no idea what this means Spencer, what being gay actually will do to your life. It's not a decision to just make because some girl thinks it would be fun. It's a scary and dangerous path to take, and a lot of people aren't going to like it. You're just going to be unhappy."
Spencer rubbed her eyes in frustration, where to begin with that one.
"Look mom, first of all, it's not a decision like you're making it sound. I didn't just wake up one morning and say, 'what the hell? Today I'll be gay.' It's who I am. Ashley did nothing but be there for me when I realized it. She didn't even push me into anything, despite the crazy signals I gave her. And I know it's scary, it's me that it's actually happening to. And that's why I need my mother to be there for me. I need you to help me, not harm me."
Spencer walked over to her mom and took her hand, squeezing it. "And finally, I don't think you understand how unhappy I truly would be without Ashley in my life. I am in love with her."
Spencer could see her mother's heart break with those words. This was her mother's last day of the old Spencer. She had been trying so hard to hold onto the innocence and goodness Spencer used to represent to her. And Spencer felt sorry for her mother. If she could just overcome her homophobia they could mourn that girl together.
"I just can't condone this life Spencer," Paula finally said, her voice lifeless.
"I'm not asking you to right away. It will take time, I get that. I'm just asking you to stop actively trying to ruin my life. I am with Ashley. You don't like it, we don't have your permission, I understand that too. But I love her, and she loves me. You need to accept it or you can't be a part of my life. And I love you mom, I need you. But it's all up to you now."
She dropped her mother's hand and turned to her brothers. "That goes for you two as well. Now I would like someone to take me over to my girlfriend's house. Any takers?"
Glen and Clay looked at each other and shrugged. "I'll drive," Clay finally volunteered.
Glen frowned. "Hey, I thought we were having a moment of silent communication there. I'm in. And it's my car, I'm driving."
"Fine, but I get shotgun," Clay agreed.
Spencer followed behind her brothers as they left, still bantering. "Nothing ever phases you two does it?" she grinned. A giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders.