Author's Note: Wow, I am so sorry to everyone. I realize I kept you all waiting and I have to send out my deepest thanks to those who are still hanging around waiting to read the next chapter. And a big thanks to those who kept reviewing and letting me know how much an update was wanted. This is for you.

Disclaimer: See all previous chapters.

Chapter 15

Ashley sat in her car tightly grasping Spencer's hand. She felt like she was five years old and the maid was telling her it was past time for her to clean up her favorite toys.

No! No, I don't wanna!

"And once again I find myself not wanting to let you go," she lamented into the blonde head resting on her shoulder. Her eyes stared down at their intertwined hands, feeling the soft skin beneath her fingertips. They fit together perfectly, even in this, the smallest of ways.

She felt empty as first Spencer's head left her shoulder and then she even pulled her hand away. But then those warm fingers were under Ashley's chin, lifting her head up to look into blue eyes.

Spencer tilted her head and grinned when their eyes finally met. "Come over for dinner. It should be soon enough considering how long we stayed in the shower. We'll only be apart for a couple of hours."

Ashley felt her face light up. "Okay." She leaned in and gave Spencer a long kiss. She couldn't help but moan when Spencer finally pulled away and left the vehicle. She couldn't help but laugh as Spencer awkwardly walked backwards to her front door, refusing to break eye contact until the last moment. She couldn't help but sigh as she finally drove home, a place only in name now that Spencer was no longer there.

Luckily the time flew for Ashley. Normally time away from Spencer dragged on slowly but between the time Ashley spent reflecting, fantasizing, about the previous night's events and getting ready for dinner, it felt like no time until she was ringing the Carlin's front doorbell.

Unfortunately the bubble of love and wonderment that had been sustaining her since Spencer had show up at her house last night was immediately popped as the door opened to reveal the spawn of Satan herself, Paula.

Ahhhhh!

"Ahh…hello, hey. Whoa. Mrs. C, I didn't expect to see you around," Ashley finally managed to sputter out.

"Clearly," Paula replied giving Ashley a once over. "Your mother let you leave the house dressed like that?"

Ashley glanced down at her usual form fitting outfit and raised an eyebrow. "Make no mistake Mrs. C. My mother would push me out of the house naked as long as it meant I wouldn't be home."

Paula said nothing back but Ashley began to feel her insides melting by the anger behind the older woman's eyes.

Suddenly the door slammed in Ashley's face and she heard angry hushed voices behind it. She stood staring at the door awkwardly for moment before deciding to just leave. Before she releases the hounds of HELL! Just then the door opened again and a familiar hand grabbed her wrist dragging her into the house and quickly upstairs.

Spencer slammed her door and leaned against it with a low growl. "I am so sorry, I had no idea she would be here. And when I found out I made her promise she would be nice but clearly that meant nothing." Spencer's voice dropped and she began to mumble to herself and pace around the room.

"You could have called and warned me," Ashley said, still feeling slightly blindsided.

Spencer stopped pacing and stared at her feet. "I didn't think you'd still come," she said quietly.

Ashley was shocked by the sudden return of shy Spencer. After their night together Ashley had been sure they'd broken down a good many walls together. Spencer would flirt and she definitely instigated all kinds of touching. But throw Spencer back into a house with her mother and she would begin to question her worth yet again. No matter how often Spencer stood up to her mother it was still a few steps forward and then a quick sprint back.

Fortunately Ashley was more than willing to wait out the complicated dance and to do her best to remind her blonde bombshell of her worth. "So, what you're saying is that you really wanted to see me…" she said in a husky voice.

Spencer's head shot up and she looked confused by the change of pace for a second before a small smirk graced her face. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Ashley asked sauntering closer. "I think definitely. I think you can't keep your mind off of touching me," she ran her hands across her stomach, "or off of tasting me," she added licking Spencer's earlobe.

Spencer pulled back and the passion in her eyes made Ashley's knees tremble. But the corners of mouth were still turned up in a smirk. "Maybe," she repeated.

Ashley disengaged. "Okay, I must have been wrong then," she began before being tackled onto the bed with a squeal by one suddenly frisky Spencer.

She opened her mouth to proclaim her victory over Spencer's hormones yet again but Spencer's lips found her own and the words were lost to Spencer's mouth. Then her thoughts were lost to Spencer's touch.

Spencer's hands traveled up Ashley's shirt to tickle her sides only to kiss away the laughter. All Ashley could do was try and wiggle away but Spencer had her hips in a death grip between her thighs.

Right, wiggling to get away. That's what I'm doing.

With the kind of timing that Ashley was convinced only the Carlin's had going for them, there was a loud knock on the door causing Spencer to jump.

"Spencer! Dinner!" Glen yelled loudly before stomping away.

Spencer looked down at Ashley still underneath her and bit her lip to keep from grinning. "You have no idea how easily that just killed the mood."

Ashley pouted to no avail as Spencer got off and pulled Ashley up with her. "Don't I at least get a cigarette before you march me off to my execution?" she asked.

"No, but you did get this," Spencer replied with a quick kiss.

"Even better."

Everyone was already at the table and Ashley could feel their eyes following her as they entered. She kept going over her mental checklist.

Pray before you eat. Elbows off the table. Don't think about Spencer's lips. Don't think about Spencer naked. In fact, all thoughts of Spencer must be kept G-rated. Oh no, I forgot which way you're supposed to pass the food!

Taking her seat next to Spencer all G-rated thoughts flew from her head as Spencer's foot immediately began to tease her shin. Ashley shot a glare at the smug face next to her before finally looking at everyone else at the table. Mr. C. smiled warmly in her direction and Clay gave her a quick encouraging smile. Glen rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. Mrs. C. just looked like she'd eaten something sour.

I hope your face freezes that way. Good luck getting Dr. Homewrecker to look your way again then.

"Well. This is awkward," Glen finally said, breaking the silence.

"Glen, remember when we had that talk about thoughts better left unsaid? This is one of them," Clay responded with a groan, causing everyone to laugh.

Ashley grinned at Spencer as the tension lifted and the dinner began.

Things went relatively well until Mrs. C. caught the wink Ashley sent Spencer as their hands brushed passing the mashed potatoes. Her fork fell to her plate with a crash and the low level of conversation that had existed died quickly.

"I'm sorry, I just can't sit here and pretend this is okay when it's not."

Cause clearly, it's all about you. Cue the pity party for Paula, Ashley thought.

"Mom, this isn't about you," Spencer responded.

That's my girl.

"Boys, why don't you go finished eating elsewhere?" Arthur instructed Glen and Clay.

As the boys left Ashley felt the increasingly familiar tension settle back down at the table in their place. She looked back and forth between Spencer and Paula wondering who would break first. Her gaze caught Arthur's who just shrugged and sat back.

"You can't help who you love. Isn't that right mom?"

Aaaand they're off with a low blow to the gut from Spencer.

"I'm trying to allow you to live your life, but I can't sit back and watch you choose the hard path. I only want what's best for you, and she just isn't it."

Paula counters playing the concerned mother card. How will Spencer respond? Ashley turned her head to look back at Spencer's angry face.

"Well that's what you're wrong. She is what's best for me. I love Ashley and she loves me. What could possibly be better than that?"

Awwww, I love you too baby!

Spencer looked at Ashley as if looking for help with the argument. Ashley just mimicked Arthur's earlier behavior and shrugged.

"Your silence is not helping," Spencer whispered under her breath.

"You will never be accepted, Spencer. You need to cut off ties before this little…relationship…goes too far," Paula replied, almost choking on the word relationship.

"Too far? You mean like consummating our little relationship? You mean like sex?" Spencer asked causing Ashley to actually choke on her water.

No way. She's not really going to go there is she? Seriously? Should I really be this turned on right now?

There was stunned silence from everyone at the table so Spencer chose to continue, "Because we have you know. Had sex."

Well fuck me, she did it.

Ashley felt strangely self satisfied so she threw in, "More than once."

Paula looked as if she were about to pass out and even Arthur looked ill. Spencer elbowed Ashley hard in the ribs.

"Not helping!" she hissed.

"Well make up your mind then! You want me to talk, you don't want me to talk. You don't want me to talk about sex? Because honey, you brought it up. Next time just make me a list of things I'm allowed to talk about," Ashley replied in mock anger causing Arthur to chuckle strangely.

"What could possibly be funny about this?" Paula practically screamed. Ashley couldn't help but notice how old she looked at that moment.

"I think we broke your mom," she whispered into Spencer's ear.

"They sound like an old married couple," Arthur answered, beginning to laugh even harder. He got up and walked away from the table holding his sides in laughter.

"I think we broke my dad too," Spencer whispered back sounding worried, "I need to go make sure he's okay," she finished quickly leaving the table leaving Ashley alone with Paula.

Greeeat.

"You…you defiled my daughter and you have the gall to sit here in my home as if you weren't some abomination," Paula stammered.

Wow, so we're not even going to pretend to play nice.

"I'll have you know it was beautiful Mrs. C. There was no defiling. And she was just as into it as I was. She wanted me as much as I wanted her. And I liked it. A lot. Every. Single. Time. So please don't lecture me. It happened, you can't make it unhappen," Ashley said resolutely.

Paula's jaw looked like it was about to detach from her face. Her fists began to shake in anger and Ashley almost felt guilty. Almost. The images of Spencer in tears because of words this woman who was supposed to love her no matter what kept flashing in Ashley's mind, taking away any doubt that she had said the right thing.

"You have no idea how you're ruining everything do you? You see the holes and cracks in a person and you just poke and prod until those cracks are open just enough for you to crawl through. You're an infestation, Ashley, and you are just as unwelcome as a cockroach would be."

"That was a particularly ugly analogy Mrs. C," Ashley responded with a grimace as Spencer walked back into the room.

"Looks like we're both finding love in ways that goes against your interpretation of the Bible, aren't we mom?" Spencer said practically spitting out the last word. She sat herself down on Ashley's lap keeping her eyes on her mother. Ashley wrapped her arms tight around the girl and pulled her even closer, kissing the side of her neck.

Paula slowly stood, her whole body shaking now. "Get out of my house before I call the police."

"No Paula, I think it's time that you leave," said Arthur from the doorway. "Right now, this is more my family than yours. I will deal with it as I see fit," he added gently grabbing her arm and pulling her from the room.

Ashley held tight to Spencer feeling the girl begin to shake as warm tears began to stream down Ashley's neck. Ashley felt her heart shatter into a million pieces for the girl she loved and slowly began to rock her, murmuring comforting words into her hair.

The yelling of Spencer's parents seem to fill the entire house, piercing the comforting shell Ashley was trying to create. As a door finally slammed the body in her arms tightened and the tears stopped. As she pulled away Ashley saw a set jaw and hard eyes. She followed Spencer into the living room where her father stood, his head in his hands.

He spotted the two of them and sighed, "Oh Spencer," he said his voice laced with disappointment. Ashley wasn't sure who the disappointment was for. "I need to go for a walk," he said opening the door slowly.

"Are you okay?" Ashley asked Spencer when he was gone.

"I will be," Spencer replied taking off her shirt.

Ashley stared at the toned body for a moment before remembering where she was. "Where are your brother?" she asked.

"Gone."

"We're about to have angry-at-your-mother rough sex aren't we?"

"Yep," Spencer replied simply stepping closer.

"Spence, I really don't think we should…"

"Ashley," Spencer interrupted pushing her body into the wall, "just shut up. I need this. We can talk about emotions later. I need something to fill up my emptiness right now, I need you to fill me. NOW!" she demanded.

It took Ashley a split second to decide what to do. "Okay," she agreed hands going straight for Spencer's belt. "Okay," she said again, softer, leaning in to kiss the quivering lips before her.