A/N: Ashley can't decide what to get Spencer for the holidays. I'm sure she'll figure something out.

"So… what are you two doing tonight?" Spencer asked nonchalantly as she lifted another spoonful of Wheaties to her mouth. It was late in the morning a few days before Christmas and Spencer and Chelsea were eating breakfast together.

Chelsea, predictably, flushed. "I think we're just going to grab a casual dinner." She drummed her fingers along the coffee mug she cradled in both hands, refusing to meet Spencer's sparkling eyes.

"Just a casual dinner with Clay… hmmm," Spencer hummed as she took another bite. She shouldn't take such glee in embarrassing her friend, but it was just too easy. In combat, the girl could take fire from two fronts and not break a sweat, but talk to her about a boy and Chelsea Lewis was done for. "Is that why I heard you up until 2 AM last night rifling through your closet?"

"Shut up," Chelsea laughed, throwing her napkin as Spencer.

Spencer threw her hands up. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but as the little sister, it's my job to make my brother's girlfriend squirm."

"I'm not his girlfriend, we're just friends." Chelsea replied with a sigh.

Spencer laughed. "You two are only 'just friends' because neither of you can seem to work up the courage to officially ask the other one out. You already talk all the time, go on dates, and swoon over one another – I'd call that a relationship."

Spencer would just have to talk some sense into her brother. For a few years now she'd been content to let Clay flounder along in his 'not-a-relationship-but-really-a-relationship' with Chelsea, hoping he would figure it out on his own. For such a smart guy, unfortunately Clay seemed to lack some brain cells in the girls department.

Lucky for her and for Chelsea, Clay was coming down from the Naval Academy to visit for the day. He had finished with his finals early, but was not allowed to leave the academy until the day before Christmas when he, Glen and Spencer would all be flying back to Ohio together for the holiday. He had decided to spend his free Friday with his sister in Washington, with the added perk of being able to hang out with Chelsea after her shift ended in the evening.

Spencer would have liked to continue her conversation with Chelsea, but her phone beeped with a text message announcing that Clay had just arrived.

"That's Clay," she announced, standing up to rinse out her cereal bowl in the sink. "We'll be home by six sharp, so don't spend too long getting ready."

Spencer needed to head down to security to clear Clay before they started their day with a behind-the-scenes tour of the White House. Protecting the First Family came with a few perks.

Ashley resisted the urge to drag her feet as she made her way down the corridor towards her and Kyla's apartment. Ashley could never quite figure out how these things happened, but somehow Kyla had convinced her to go Christmas shopping with her today. Damn her sister's puppy eyes – she could never say no to that girl.

Ashley wasn't exactly the biggest fan of Christmas.

The holiday was too sappy, too commercial, and overall, just too much. It always made her more keenly aware of the things she was missing in her life, especially her father. And who thought the idea of an old fat man breaking into your house to offer candy and presents to your children was a festive idea anyway?

Gift shopping with her sister was another of the season's miseries. Without fail, Kyla would wait until days before Christmas to begin her shopping, and she never went with a list. This led to endless wandering around the mall where Ashley would be forced to watch Kyla debate with herself over things like whether to get their driver Willy a navy blue or black tie. It wasn't exactly how Ashley had hoped to spend the beginning of her winter break.

Ashley did most of her shopping online and well in advance of the holiday season. In fact, she was done shopping for everyone on her list except for one person. She'd been having trouble figuring out the perfect gift to get for a certain Marine she knew. Luckily, Spencer had the day off and would not be joining the First Daughters on their outing.

No sooner had Ashley thought about her than the girl in question appeared at the other end of the hall.

But Spencer was not alone - there was a guy with her.

As a neutral, third-party observer, Ashley knew that the guy wasn't bad looking. He was tall, dark and handsome to a tee – well dressed and muscular with a strong jaw and soft eyes. He looked to be about Spencer's age. His arm was wrapped around her shoulder carelessly, like it was something he did all the time.

Something about him made Ashley throw up a little in her mouth.

She remembered in a flash that this was Skype-guy. The guy from the photo.

Spencer's boyfriend.

Great.

"Good morning Ms. Davies," Spencer greeted her with a smile.

"Sergeant Carlin," Ashley rolled her eyes at the formality. It suddenly bothered her that Spencer never called her by her first name. "Who's this guy?" She jerked her chin in the boyfriend's direction, unconsciously crossing her arms across her chest.

If Spencer noticed Ashley's sudden hostility, she didn't mention it. She smiled up at the boyfriend, patting him on the chest in a nauseating display of affection. "Clay, this is Ashley Davies, my young ward. Ashley, this is Clay, my…"

But before Spencer could say that words that felt as if they would be like fingernails scratching down a chalkboard in her head, Ashley cut her off.

"We've met. Virtually of course."

The man smiled. "That's kind of you to remember." He offered her his hand. "It's very nice to meet you in person ma'am. And it's an honor to be here in the White House."

Ashley made a point to ignore his hand.

"Sure."

Spencer's pleasant demeanor instantly soured. She peered intently at Ashley, clearly trying to figure her out. That was great because Ashley was working hard to figure out why she was acting this way too.

"Is there a problem Ms. Davies?" Ashley winced at hearing the formality again, but held her ground. She would not shake hands with the enemy.

"I'm just not so sure he should be back here. Authorized personnel only, and all that." Everything inside of her screamed that this man – Clay – was competition. It didn't matter if he was Spencer's boyfriend. Her claws were coming out and she would defend her territory and her turf.

The boyfriend took half a step backwards, sliding his arm off Spencer's shoulder and suddenly not looking so much at ease.

That was better.

"He has permission from all of the appropriate parties," Spencer replied, frowning at Ashley, "And if it bothers you so much, we were just leaving." Ashley didn't like the way Spencer's eyes seemed to have reverted to the icy glare they had held when they first met, but she couldn't help herself.

"Good. There are better places than the East Wing to bring a date Carlin." She pushed around them to continue on her way before Spencer could make retort.

Hours later, as she was escorting the Davies girls out of the White House garage and back into the East Wing, Chelsea Lewis couldn't help but put a little spring into her step.

Clay was here.

"Corporal Lewis, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were glowing." Kyla teased as they hoped out of the back of the Davies' sisters van.

Chelsea had to admit maybe she was.

She was head over heels about Clay, more than she was willing to admit to her best friend. He was everything Chelsea had ever wanted in a man, but never thought existed. He was handsome, but didn't know it; intelligent, but not cocky; and funny in a nerdy sort of way that never failed to make Chelsea laugh. He understood her current career, and didn't think that it made her any less feminine, and even more he supported her future dreams of becoming an art therapist.

Not to mention she loved his family as if it were her own.

All of the things that made Clay so wonderful also made him so damn terrifying. Chelsea was used to working hard for everything in her life. As the oldest of six children growing up in one of LA's toughest neighborhoods, she'd had to juggle school and a part-time job waiting tables on top of helping take care of her brothers and sisters. She'd left home at seventeen to join the military to pay for school. Her life was hard, and Clay was just so easy.

Maybe he was her reward. She couldn't help but glow.

Chelsea resisted the urge to blush, but Kyla didn't push her as much as her best friend did. "Just happy to see an old friend is all, Ms. Davies," she replied with a sheepish grin.

"Great, you even date in unison," Ashley muttered from where she sulked a few feet behind them.

Kyla laughed, ignoring whatever her sister was talking about. "Right, an 'old friend', as if you don't talk about Clay like he's your soul mate."

Behind them, Ashley dropped her shopping bags. "I'm sorry, who?"

Chelsea stopped to help Ashley pick up her parcels. "Clay Carlin, Spencer's brother? He's in town visiting for the day. Have you met him yet?"

"He's her brother?" Ashley asked, her facing going pale. "But… but he's…"

"Black?" Chelsea asked with a laugh, "Noticed that, huh? Their parents adopted him when he was seven."

"Right, right," Ashley replied, nodding slowly, "Her brother." Chelsea raised an eyebrow at the elder Davies, but chose not to comment further. She had no idea how Spencer put up with this girl, let alone had developed feelings for her. Chelsea might be a sap, but it was Spencer who was a fool for love.

"All right," Chelsea said as they reached the door, "This is where I jump off. Have a good night." She nodded a quick greeting to the two security officers who held the doors open for the Davies sisters before veering off and heading toward the back lawn where she was supposed to meet Clay and Spencer.

"Okay, I know I locked that door when I left here." Though she couldn't see it, Ashley could easily imagine the look on Spencer's face as she closed the apartment door behind her.

Ashley was very comfortably napping on the Marines' living room couch. She couldn't say why exactly she was there; it had just felt like the right place to be.

"How was your date?" Ashley asked without opening her eyes.

"My date…" Spencer mused, "Well, we had a romantic picnic lunch on the Mall, held hands as we toured the Postal Museum, and then ended the day with a steamy make out session on the Metro."

Ashley sat up and cocked an eyebrow. "With your brother? Eww. Is that how you people do things out in Ohio?"

Spencer chuckled, plopping down on the couch next to Ashley. "So you finally figured it out then."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding, I knew all along. You know I just like to push your buttons."

"Oh really," Spencer mused as she pulled off her boots, "Because as someone who's very familiar with your theatrics, your distaste this morning was pretty authentic. It seemed a lot like you had a problem with Clay being around." She caught Ashley's gaze and held it.

Ashley's brain scrambled to come up with some sort of explanation that didn't end with her looking like a jealous bitch.

She let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, all right? You know how I am with new people. Sometimes I forget that the whole world isn't out to get me and that occasionally there are people who don't want to screw me or screw me over. I was a bitch." It didn't really answer the question, but it seemed like it might be enough for Spencer.

"Can you repeat that for me?" Spencer asked teasingly.

"I'm a bitch," Ashley admitted again matter-of-factly.

"Not that part," Spencer chuckled.

Ashley hesitated, cycling back through what she had just said. "I'm sorry?"

Huh. That wasn't something she usually said. As a rule, Ashley was as unapologetic as they came, but Spencer had seemed angry, and she had wanted to do something to make it better.

"I didn't know that you had that word in your vocabulary." Spencer seemed as surprised as she was.

Ashley shrugged, trying to play it off as nothing. "Some people save their curses for times when they are most appropriate so that they have more meaning. I'm stingey with my apologies. I like to think they mean more this way."

That made the Marine smile, which was more than Ashley could have hoped.

"So when were you going to tell me I was acting like an idiot again?" Ashley asked, laying back down to get comfortable and tossing her legs over Spencer's lap. She couldn't help wondering why Spencer had never corrected her about her assumption, even after they had started to get along better.

"I thought you said you knew he was my brother all along," Spencer teased.

"Well obviously," Ashley deflected. "But you usually take such glee in correcting me when I make assumptions... I was just waiting for you to take the opportunity. So why didn't you take it?"

She felt Spencer shift just the slightest under her legs. "I don't know," She replied.

They sat in silence for a moment, Ashley watching Spencer sort through her thoughts. She looked tense.

"Hey." Ashley said, trying to draw her attention.

Spencer turned back towards her, giving her a little half-smile. "Hey what?"

"What do you want for Christmas?" Ashley asked.

"We're doing gifts?" Spencer countered. Ashley might have worried that she stepped over some sort of line except for the hint of humor in the Marine's voice.

It was small moments like these that made Ashley realize just how different the real Spencer was from the Marine Ashley had thought was going to ruin her life just a few months ago. She wasn't quite sure if they had both changed from the people they were back then, or if rather they were simply more comfortable being themselves then they had been before.

"Duh. It's Christmas."

"You hate Christmas. You almost punched those carolers down by the Capitol for singing 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer' last week."

Ashley shrugged. "I had a headache and they were perky. Not the best combination."

"Right," Spencer laughed.

Ashley though Spencer had a great laugh. "So okay, I may not like Christmas, but I do sort of like you. Hence, gifts."

"Ashley you don't have to get me anything." Spencer told her seriously.

"See you say that, but there's this social contract Kyla keeps telling me about, and she won't get off my back about it." She smiled brightly, letting the Marine know she wasn't going to let this go.

"Surprise me." Spencer replied, leaning her head back against the couch and closing her eyes.

"Pfft," Ashley scoffed. "You're no fun." But she followed Spencer's lead and reclined back on the couch.

They rested in silence for a moment, before Ashley had to ask, "So…what are you getting me?"

"Just rest Ashley," Spencer muttered, eyes still closed.

"Is it a pony?"

"Ashley."

"Is it my two front teeth?"

"Shhh…"

"Is it a GI Jane Marine action figure, complete with 'Lack of Humor' and 'Icy Death Glare'?"

"Shut up Davies."

Christine Davies did not look up from her laptop upon hearing the knock on the door to the Oval Office.

"Enter."

"Good evening Madame President." The feminine voice gave Christine pause. She was expecting a briefing with General Hewitt, not this vaguely familiar woman.

"And you are?" the President asked, leaning back to peer through the glasses sitting on the edge of her nose.

"Staff Sergeant Carmen Sanchez ma'am, I'm General Hewitt's associate at the Pentagon. I believe we met at your fundraiser a few weeks ago."

"Yes, of course. Where is the General?" Christine asked. She was up to her ears in briefs about Afghanistan and she relied on her trusted advisor to translate them into stories that the American public could understand in her next address to the nation.

The Marine gestured to the seat on the other side of the President's desk. "Might I sit?" Christine bristled when the officer didn't wait for a response before seating herself anyway. "The General had a family emergency Ma'am; he sends his sincerest apologies and asked me to come brief you in his place."

Christine narrowed her eyes at the woman sitting across from her. There was something…off. "I just spoke with Gerard a few hours ago, he didn't mention any family emergency."

The brunette gave a tight smile. "It must have just come up. He's not exactly the most forthcoming with information about his personal life, so I'm afraid that I don't have any more information for you Ma'am."

"Mmmm," Christine replied non-committally. She leaned back and crossed her arms across her chest. "Well, did he send his summaries?"

The Marine nodded, "Of course." She reached into the inner pocket of her uniform jacket and pulled out a folded manila envelope which she slid across the table to the President. "I'd be more than happy to go through them with you Ma'am."

"That won't be necessary." Christine replied sharply. She of all people knew brown-nosing and this girl was pushing hard to make herself indispensable. Fat chance. "You are dismissed."

Christine took pleasure in the brief flash of annoyance that passed across the younger woman's face before she controlled her emotions and stood.

"Of course Madame President, have a good night." The Marine stood and made it all the way to the door before turning back and interrupting Christine again. "Oh, and Madame President, I just wanted to say that I saw your daughter's interview on the news the other day, and I appreciate the difficult position she put you in by saying what she said."

Christine glared, feeling her temper flare. Who did this bitch think she was 'appreciating' anything about this? "Oh, really?" she asked through gritted teeth. There was something dangerous about this conversation, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it yet.

"Ashley seems like a real handful Ma'am. I imagine she could get into some serious trouble if she put her mind to it." Carmen continued carefully, her hand still on the door knob. "She's got quite the mouth on her; I'd hate to see her revealing certain state secrets during an election year."

This was starting to sound dangerously like blackmail, and the President had no way of knowing exactly how much this Sanchez woman knew about her and her family. Christine stood from her chair and gripped the edge of her desk in two tight fists. "What exactly are you trying to say to your Commander-in-Chief, Staff Sergeant?"

The Marine finally released the doorknob and turned, raising both of her hands in front of her, palms forward, in a show of surrender. "Forgive me Madame President," she answered quickly. "I'm afraid I'm giving you the wrong impression about me, I don't hold any ill will against you. I, like the general, am on your side of things. I merely wanted to offer you my services, if you wanted them."

Christine relaxed in the slightest. She reminded herself that this woman had been hand-selected by her most trusted advisor to be his assistant. "And what services would those be, Sergeant?"

the Marine smiled slightly. "I noticed that you recently replaced the Secret Service agents on your daughters' security detail with Marines. I just wanted you to know that I would be willing to take over their guardianship in a manner more suited to your needs in an election year, if you were to request it."

Christine studied the woman for a moment, considering her offer. "The two Marines currently serving as guardians to my daughters were hand-selected by General Amos and have exemplary service backgrounds in special security operations. I may not always agree with the way they seem to coddle my daughters, but they seem to do their jobs well. Aside from Ashley's most recent stunt, my daughters have been more tame in the last few months than they have been since my election to Congress. What makes you think you are better qualified?"

Sure it was fairly obvious that Ashley had a pitiful crush on the Marine Sergeant assigned to her. In fact, Christine strongly suspected that Ashley's feelings for her security detail were a large part of the reason why her most unseemly escapades had come to a sudden halt when the Marine had come into town. Luckily, it was clear that her daughter's affections were not returned by the Marine.

Although there had been that incident the night of the interview that had given the President pause…

Christine's thoughts were interrupted by the matter at hand. "Madame President, I would never suggest that I am more qualified, but if you check my service record, I think you'll find that it is also exemplary. All I am suggesting is that I could be part of a security team that considers your needs first, rather than the needs of two college girls."

Something still wasn't quite right about this. What Christine Davies lacked in political knowledge and straight intelligence, she made up for with killer instincts. Right now her instincts were telling her that Carmen Sanchez was expecting to get more out of this offer than the president would, and that meant Christine was missing something about this.

The Marine seemed to sense her hesitance. "I understand that this offer is coming out of nowhere from someone you don't know. Take some time to consider it, look into my background, whatever you want to do is fine with me, Madame President. Just know that there is a standing offer. Have a good evening ma'am." The lanky Marine offered her a quick salute before finally making her exit.

Christine settled back into her seat, gentle twisting the rolling chair from side to side as she considered the bizarre encounter. She might not trust this Carmen Sanchez, but the woman did make some interesting points. Ashley would require a more watchful eye in the coming months, in the political sense at least.

It was an issue that would require more thought, but now, when she had a series of poll updates and campaign memos on her desk, was not the time.

"Have you seen these?" Kyla asked her sister from where she was laying on the couch. Her back was on the seat cushions, her legs draped up along the backrest – her favorite position for reading off her phone, oddly enough.

From her seat over at the kitchen table, Ashley scoffed but did not look up her book. "The amount of detail and insight you manage to capture in your questions never ceases to amaze me little sister."

A pillow hit the back of her head.

"What the hell!?" Ashley dropped her book and spun around clutching the back of her head.

"Says the queen of vague questions." Kyla stuck out her tongue. "Come here."

Since she was already distracted from her book, and since she had conveniently just finished a chapter, Ashley figured she'd humor her little sister. It was the season of giving, and all that.

She joined Kyla on the couch, mirroring her upside-down position, which Ashley had to admit was actually pretty comfortable.

Kyla moved her phone over so they could both read what was on the screen. She began flicking through a series of news article titles, reading them aloud as she went.

"First-daughter Hints that She Doesn't Stand with the Party Line."

"Trouble in Paradise: Rayne, First-Daughter Don't See Eye-to-Eye on Marriage Bill."

"Have Gay Rights Activists had a Voice in the White House All Along?"

"And this one's my personal favorite, 'Ashley Davies: Can She Really be That Dumb?'"

Ashley was a little surprised to see how much press coverage her stunt earlier that week had garnered. She probably should have been paying more attention to the media's response to the interview, but instead she had spent the past few days with her mind on other things – namely a certain blonde Marine.

"It's good to see people are talking about it, that's all I was really hoping for."

Kyla rested the phone against her chest and turned toward her sister. "I know you've always felt this way, and you know that I do to, but why the sudden stand? Mom can't have been very happy."

Ashley winced, "No, she wasn't." Their mother had definitely not been happy, but she hadn't told Kyla about what had happened that night after the interview.

Kyla didn't have any personal reason to hate their mother, and with one parent already in the grave, Ashley tried her best to avoid putting a rift between her sister and Christine in spite of her own feelings. There were some things that Kyla just didn't need to know and with the help of a little make-up, it was easy to pretend that her confrontation with Christine had never happened.

"Kyla," Ashley began, reaching out to tuck a piece of stray hair behind her sister's ear, "This is something I've been sitting on for a while. Since Mom got into politics, since Dad died, I've been sort of just screwing around, trying to distract myself. Trying to pretend that what Mom stands for doesn't affect me. But it does, and it affects more than just me. There are a lot of good people in this country who just want to live their lives in peace but they can't because of who they love. They don't have the power to change things, but I have a voice people listen to, and I think that I have to use it."

As soon as she said it out loud, Ashley realized how much that sounded like something Carlin had once told her about being a Marine.

Kyla reached over and squeezed her hand. "Okay."

It was actually a pretty touching moment, until Kyla had to ruin it by asking, "Does this mean I finally get to throw you a coming out party?"

Ashley laughed, giving her sister a gentle cuff. "You dork, that's not even in a thing. And no, no coming out. This girl will continue living in the closet until the elections next fall. A lot of people who are on the fence about gay rights will give more weight to what I have to say if they think it's coming from a third-party straight girl instead of a liberal lesbian."

Kyla looked skeptical, "You sure that's what you want to do Ash?"

Ashley sighed. "No, but I think it's what I have to do."

"Okay," Kyla picked up her phone again and passed it over to Ashley. "Then I think you'd better take a look at a few more articles about your interview. Most of these are on pretty obscure blogs, but you should probably be aware that people are already starting to watch you more closely."

Ashley felt the weight of this suddenly enormous undertaking settle heavily on her shoulders as she flicked through some of the blogs Kyla had pulled up.

'Gay Ally or Gay American: What Game is Ashley Davies Playing?'

'Georgetown Student Claims Ashley Davies Hasn't Always Been on the 'Straight' and Narrow.'

'Local Exotic Dancer Claims that Ashley Davies is a Lesbian.'

"Oh boy," Ashley sighed. She hoped her mother hadn't seen these particular articles yet.

"You're lucky most of those girls who you used to hook up with either lack a certain amount of credibility, or have a healthy amount of fear for those confidentiality agreements the Secret Service made them sign. For the most part everyone thinks these blogs are trash – I mean the one with the interview with that stripper in Montana is right next to an article about how Lindsey Lohan was abducted by aliens on Thanksgiving, so I think you're safe for now. Everyone who knows the truth about your sexuality is either too loyal to Mom or too loyal to you to say anything. But if you really want to keep this act up, you are going to have to be more careful."

"Apparently," Ashley agreed, wondering not for the first time if she was really ready for what she was about to get into. She turned back to her sister. "I don't want you to get involved in this Kyla."

"Ash…" Kyla started.

"No. Just because I'm willing to throw away my inheritance and possibly my reputation doesn't mean that you should. I know you, and I know that your dream is to go into politics. You need to keep your nose clean and your bank account full if you want to make that dream a reality. This is between me and Mom – I've gotten pretty good at figuring out how much I can push her before she pushes back. Having you involved would only make things harder."

"Ashley," Kyla whined. Ashley was touched by how much her sister cared, but there was no way in Hell she was taking Kyla down with her. It was time for Plan B – distraction.

"You know what I think? I think it's time to make those gingerbread houses you've been pestering me about all week. Only three days 'til Christmas!"

If there was anything capable about distracting Kyla Davies, it was the Christmas spirit.

Kyla perked up immediately, righting herself and sitting up on the couch. "Really!?" Her smile quickly fell. "Hey. We're not done talking about this Ashley Davies."

Ashley stood up and made her way back into the kitchen where the gingerbread house making kit laid waiting. "Whatever you say Ky."

To Ashley's pleasant surprise, making candy houses with her sister was actually pretty fun. She wondered why she had been avoiding it all these years.

She bet Spencer would have liked to make gingerbread houses with them. It seemed like the kind of thing she would do.

"We've still got some supplies left," Kyla replied distractedly as she carefully applied licorice siding to her candy cottage, "Why don't you go ask her?"

Ashley nearly choked on her LifeSaver. Had she really said that out loud?

"What? No… No. I'm sure she's busy, doing something military…esque. Or something." Ashley stuttered. Real smooth Davies, she told herself.

That got Kyla's attention. She put down her frosting bag. "You know, you've been talking about Spencer a lot for the past few weeks, and making excuses to hang out with her a lot too. Not to mention that you are calling her 'Spencer' now and not 'Carlin' or 'GI Jane' or 'That Marine chick that follows me around all the time.'"

"Well you know, she's around, I'm around, a lot of times we're around together. It happens when someone is paid to babysit you."

Kyla narrowed her eyes. "Are you into her?"

Ashley scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Am I into Spencer Carlin, Sergeant Salutesalot? She is so far out of my type she might as well be a guy." Unfortunately, Ashley broke the next three graham crackers she tried to pick up, which did a lot to negate everything she was saying to try to convince Kyla and herself that she didn't like Spencer.

Ashley tried to busy herself in making the gingerbread garage she suddenly decided her gingerbread mansion needed.

Kyla, on the other hand, abandoned her gingerbread house and moved over to the couch where she could more directly glare at her sister.

"Okay, okay. Can I talk something out with you?" Ashley finally conceded. Her confusing feelings about the Marine were superseding her need to appear cool and aloof at the moment.

"I'm listening Ash." Kyla replied, softening when she saw how conflicted her sister seemed.

"It's just…sometimes, when I'm with her, I get these vibes," Ashley cringed at how stupid she sounded as soon as she said it.

"You get vibes." Kyla deadpanned. "Ashley, I'm pretty sure you've been getting 'vibes' from every non-blood-related female that you've made eye contact with since puberty. I think 'rush-of-blood-to-the-genitals' might be a more accurate description of what you are feeling."

"That is so not what I mean, jerk!" Ashley took a seat on the couch next to her sister, angling toward her. "I mean, yeah, obviously, you've seen her, she's not exactly unattractive. But it's not just that. It feels… I feel different."

"Different. Right. Well that really gives me a lot to go on sis," Kyla teased gently.

"What do you want from me, a diagram? I thought you were the smart one. Help me out here!" Ashley felt completely tense, on edge. She was nervous, God knows why, and she needed her sister to help her make sense of this all.

Kyla shrugged, but turned to face Ashley more fully. She might not understand what the hell her sister was trying to say, but she heard a waiver in her voice that was an unexpected deviation from her usual swagger.

"Okay, well this 'different' feeling toward Spencer, is it a good different, or a bad different?" Kyla offered.

"Good. Definitely good. At least I think it is. When I'm with her, I feel… I feel warm and tense at the same time. Like I'm somehow perfectly safe and yet so vulnerably raw all at once."

Kyla paused, her eyes studying her sister's. After a moment, she softened into a gentle smile.

"Where do you feel that Ashley?" She asked.

Ashley's brows knit together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, if you had to point to just one spot where you feel the center of all this warmth and tension, where would it be?"

Ashley hesitated, but there was no question in her mind. She raised a shaking hand in placed in on her chest, right above her hammering heart. "Oh," she breathed.

"Yeah," Kyla agreed, her eyes sparkling. "Never thought I'd live to see the day Ashley Davies fell for a girl instead of the other way around."

Ashley took a second to let her new-found realization sink in.

She was in love.

She jumped off the couch and began pacing. "Well, what the hell am I supposed to do with this?"

Kyla's soft smile fell with Ashley's spirit. "This does sort of complicate things, especially considering the conversation you so tactfully ended with gingerbread, and how closely the media is going to be following you now."

Ashley felt her warmth sinking away. What the hell was she thinking? There was no hope in anything ever coming of this.

Spencer was off-limits to her for so many reasons.

And then of course there was the fact that someone like Spencer was probably too good for a screw-up like Ashley anyway.

"It's just…" Ashley knew she was reaching now, but she couldn't help bringing it up. "Sometimes, when she looks at me, I think maybe she feels something too. A small something, just a glimmer, but something."

"Ash, this is Spencer we're talking about," Kyla reminded her softly. "Sergeant Spencer Carlin. I think maybe your feelings have been making you interpret her friendship as something more than it is. She's your bodyguard, and an officer in the United States Marine Corps. Technically speaking, she is pretty much as far into the 'Don't even go there' category as you can get for a girl to crush on. You're just setting yourself up for heartbreak Ash."

"Don't you think I now all of that Ky? I didn't ask for these feelings, they just sort of happened. Where is the off-switch for this?" Ashley asked, wincing at the desperation in her own voice. When the heck had her life become a soap opera?

Kyla reached over to grip her shoulder. "Unfortunately, there isn't one." Kyla told her. "I've heard time helps, and space too."

"Like I've got either of those…" Ashley lamented. She glanced over at the clock, noting that it was just about time to join their mother downstairs for their weekly 'family' dinner.

It was a small consolation, but at least for once she could rest assured that the night could not possibly get any worse.

"Congratulations, you're getting engaged."

Ashley spat the forkful of pasta she had just put into her mouth back onto her plate. She turned to look at her mother, jaw still dropped. "Come again?" Across the table she could see Kyla wearing an expression that mirrored her own.

For her part, Christine looked like she could have been talking about the weather. She didn't look up from the plate where she was carefully sawing through chicken parm.

"Congressman Rayne called me this afternoon to ask for my permission to marry you and I conceded. Early next week, he will invite you on a walk around the Capitol Building. He will propose, and you will accept."

"Mom!" Kyla exclaimed, finally finding her voice.

"Excuse me?" Ashley spat. She could barely wrap her head around what was happening right now. "I'm not marrying anyone."

Christine smirked. "Given your preferences, I do not dispute that dear. However, you will be engaged to Ethan Rayne as of next week."

"What is this, 1632?" Ashley retorted. "This sort of thing is kind of my call mother, and I can tell you that it's not happening. I can barely standing eating a meal with that guy once a week; there is no way in hell I'm going to wear his ball and chain around my ring finger!"

Christine was eerily calm. "This is my family, my presidency, and my decision Ashley – and it is final. Four and a half years from now, you can ride the rainbow train to West Hollywood and fuck whoever or whatever strikes your fancy - in public, for all I care. But for now, so help me God Ashley Marie, you will do as I say."

Ashley shot to her feet, her chair scraping angrily across the floor. "And why should I do that mother?" she challenged.

A small voice in her head tried to remind her that she had already resigned herself to playing her mother's game until the election so that she could really be an advocate for the LGBT community. That same voice was telling her that a fake engagement to Ethan, no matter how vile it seemed, would probably be a good way to preserve her cover and maintain her political clout with the public.

But it was a small voice compared to the roaring monster who had been used and abused by her mother for far too long. "Why should I possibly ignore all of my feelings - ignore the very core of who I am - to do what you want Christine?"

Christine took a few infuriating seconds to carefully fold her napkin and set it on the table before meeting Ashley's challenging glare. "Well to start with, all it would take is a phone call to send away that Marine you can't stop making puppy dog eyes at. What's her name, Carlin? God knows I have no idea how she's managed to keep you out of trouble for the past few months and I owe her for that, but you make another scene like you did at the interview and that girl is back on front lines faster than you can say 'Afghanistan.'"

The President smirked seeing the effect her threat had on her daughter.

Ashley, for her part, had broken into a cold sweat. Her heart was racing double-time. She was dumbfounded. It was one thing to mess with her life, and another all together to mess with Spencer's. She'd always known her mother was a bitch, but this? This was a whole new level of evil.

"Do you even hear yourself?" She managed to ask.

Christine folded her hands across the top of the table. "I think the more important question is whether you hear me."

The mother and daughter glared at one another, but Ashley was the first to back down. Without another word, she was storming out of the dining room.

"How did you get like this Mom?" Kyla asked incredulously, breaking the silence that followed her sister's exit.

"I do what I must for this family." Christine answered before pushing out her own chair and retiring to her office.

Two hours later, and Ashley was still in the practice room where she had made her retreat, trying to bleed the intensity of her emotions out through her cello.

Sometimes music was the only way she could make sense of the world, but tonight not even Bach could express her feelings.

How had her mother known about her feelings, even before she had really understood them herself?

One thing was clear in the maelstrom of thoughts racing through Ashley's head: There was no way that Spencer was going back to Afghanistan.

Spencer was not allowed to go back to a place where people tried to kill her and her friends always died and where Ashley was pretty sure she had been tortured.

Ashley would do anything to keep that from happening. Anything - even agreeing to a sham engagement with Ethan Rayne.

The next few months were going to be hell.

Outside of the basement practice room, there was light knock on the door. Ashley ignored it. She couldn't deal with talking to Kyla right now.

She closed her eyes and tried to sink deeper into the music, but the knock came again, this time followed by the sound of the door opening.

"Ms. Davies?" Ashley paused for half a second. That wasn't Kyla, but she wasn't exactly in the mood to face Spencer either. She resumed her bow's solemn path across her cello.

The next time Ashley heard the Marine's voice, it was right in front of her. "Ms. Davies," Spencer tried again, but Ashley couldn't stop. She squeezed her eyes tighter, letting her fingers continue to dance along the strings.

"Ashley," Spencer called softly, and this time the resonating strings of Ashley's cello were abruptly cut into silence. Ashley opened her eyes to find the Marine kneeling in front of her, her palm pressed against the strings of the instrument's bridge.

"What?" Ashley hated how much her voice broke on that one word. And she hated how she couldn't manage to look away from Spencer's deep, searching eyes. Before she could make up her mind to stop her, Ashley felt Spencer gently sliding the bow out of her hand, putting it aside before next pulling the cello from her grip, setting it down gently on the ground and taking its place between Ashley's thighs.

Still, Ashley watched her.

"Hey," Spencer said softly, as if she was afraid to break the silence that followed in the wake of the intensity of the music. She offered a tentative smile before reaching out and taking each of Ashley's hands in one of her own.

"It's going to be okay."

Ashley let out a something that was halfway between a sob and a laugh. "How is it going to be okay Spencer?" she asked. In the end the laugh won out. "You don't even know what's wrong!"

"I don't," Spencer admitted solemnly, "But I want to. Because if there's anything I can do to make it better, I will."

Her eyes were clear and blue, and Ashley knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would. Spencer was always there for her – and that was everything.

"I know."

And before she quite knew what she was doing, Ashley had shifted forward in her chair and caught her Marine's lips up in a kiss that felt more right than anything ever had in her life.

A/N: I know it's been a while since my last update, but I hope this chapter stands as an apology to my faithful readers. As always, thanks for reading.