Thank you all for the lovely replies! It looks like I'm gonna continue with this story since you guys seem to like it, but if it ever starts to go downhill let me know so I can hit myself over the head repeatedly with a pan. Thanks to everyone who left a review, it's definitely appreciated! Here's the next chapter:)

xsamxstutterzx: Thanks! I'm glad you like it:)

Capactive4: Yeah I think I like Spencer being more confident than shy in this fic. And I read your poem and thought it was really good, you should write some more.

itswhatever: Thanks, I hope you continue to enjoy it!

natamox: lol, the spelling's close enough! I hope you remain... however you spell that word:)

HaleyxxBrookeAAF: Hahaha, as much as I think it would be super entertaining to have you stalk me and glue/tape me to a chair, I've decided that just posting the next chapter is probably much easier for you. Enjoy!:)

DaNoodleUpNorthWatsUp: Thank you. Yeah the storyline is a little different and I'm hoping that I can make it work:)

Chapter 2

The guest house was exactly that...a house. It was massive, and Ashley couldn't help but feel out of place living in a space that could fit three of her apartment. Even though her apartment in Brooklyn was small, it had been her home for the past two years and she loved it. Having lived in L.A. her whole life, New York was like a breath of fresh air. It was Ashley's kind of city, the hustle and bustle of people rushing to and from work, artists, musicians, dancers, pizza parlors, it was anything and everything. And standing there surrounded by things she couldn't even think of affording, she couldn't help but miss it a bit.

Quickly finishing unpacking her belongings, Ashley headed back towards the house running through what Spencer had told her in her head. If she loved reading and writing so much why hadn't she gone to college? It was obvious that they could afford it. Ashley walked into the kitchen and was momentarily startled by a woman standing over the stovetop stirring something that smelled delicious from where Ashley was standing.

"Hi. I'm Anabelle. And you are Ashley...right?" The woman asked, turning to Ashley with a curious look on her face.

So that was Anabelle, Ashley thought. She was struck by how young she looked, from what Ashley could see, she had to be in her late twenties, and very pretty. Ashley had to wonder what brought her to the Carlin house.

"Yeah, I'm Ashley. Do you need any help with the cooking or anything?" Ashley asked, moving into the kitchen more.

"Um, actually if you could chop up those onions on the counter over there that would be great"

"Yeah, no problem."

Ashley got to work, and soon realized it was going to be harder than she thought since the onions seemed to be making her eyes water like crazy, and probably looked quite ridiculous bouncing on her toes with tears streaming down her face.

"I take it you don't do much cooking yourself?" Anabelle smirked.

"Uh...no not really. I usually just get takeout or my sister cooks," Ashley replied, looking sheepish.

Anabelle moved over to where Ashley stood, knife in hand, ready to attack some more of those devil onions. Taking the knife out of her hand, she stood close to Ashley, knife hand poised over the onions.

"My mom taught me a trick when I was younger, if you place the knife at an angle over the onion like this, and then start chopping really fast, the onion doesn't get a chance to let out its vapors."

Ashley watched in amazement as Anabelle started chopping the onions like a pro, rolling through the two onions in less time than it took Ashley to cut up one.

"Wow, that was really good, and really fast. You're not gonna tell me that that's how everyone cuts onions are you?"

"Maybe." Anabelle smiled. "But I wouldn't want to hurt your feelings. Believe it or not but I was actually on Top Chef a couple of years ago."

"No way! Are you serious? I've never actually watched it but my sister Kyla's obsessed with it!" Ashley replied, imagining how excited Kyla would be if she were standing in Ashley's shoes.

"It was no big deal. I made it past the first few rounds and then I accidentally burnt the eyebrows off one of the judges."

Ashley just watched with a shocked face as she started stirring whatever was in the pot again, until Anabelle turned around with a grin on her face.

"Just kidding. It was an overcooked steak...that knocked me out of the competition, not that knocked his eyebrows off I mean."

They both laughed, and Ashley noted that for the second time tonight she actually felt comfortable in the house, the first time being in Spencer's bedroom. Thoughts of feeling comfortable led her back to wondering what Spencer was doing at that moment.

"I think I'm gonna go talk to Spencer for a bit, you'll be here for the rest of the night, right?" Ashley asked hoping she could get a chance to talk with her a bit more.

"Yeah, go ahead. Could you let Spencer know that dinner should be ready in a half an hour?"

Ashley nodded and headed up the stairs, feeling nervous again and not knowing exactly why. Spencer's door was wide open and Ashley entered slowly, hoping that she wasn't intruding on anything. Surprisingly, Spencer was just lying on her back on her bed, completely flat on her back and apparently entranced by her ceiling. Ashley walked over slowly and stood by the bed.

"Hey" Ashley tentatively sat down beside her on the bed.

"Hey"

"What are you thinking about?" All Ashley wanted to do at that moment was wrap her up in her arms, she just looked so vulnerable.

"Things...Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, anything."

"What does the ocean look like? I know it's just water, but what does it look like, you know. I remember in 2nd grade I'd listen to the other kids describe what things looked like, how the ocean was blue, but what's blue look like? Sometimes I get so frustrated about the things I can't see, the things I'm blind to, I don't even know what my own mother looks like."

Ashley took Spencer's hand in her own, gently stroking the back of her hand with her thumb.

"But you can feel, Spencer, you can feel. And that's better than seeing. Feeling is seeing in a higher dimension, being able to see through your heart and your soul. And nothing's better than that."

Ashley slowly got up, hoping that Spencer would take what she said to heart. She didn't tell Spencer that sometimes she wished she could be blind to the world, to not have to see the people that hurt her. Ashley grabbed onto Spencer's hand, pulling her off the bed.

"Come on, let's go get some dinner before Anabelle burns her eyebrows off!"

"What?" Spencer replied looking confused.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you on the way down...all I know is she's deadly with a knife. Remind me never to piss her off please."

Spencer laughed and let Ashley lead her downstairs, wondering why she felt so comfortable around this girl that she'd known for less than a day, but loving the way Ashley's thumb was stroking her hand.