Well I hope all of you had a FANTASTIC Christmas and an even better new years:) I personally think I must have gained about 20 pounds from all the food I ate, so it's off to the gym! But before I leave I thought I'd start the year off right with an update, so read and enjoy, and let me know what you think:)

Chapter 9

Paula Carlin arrived back home from her business trip the following morning, and Ashley's carefree interactions in the house seemed to have diminished slightly with her arrival. The sternness that was Mrs. Carlin not only enveloped her being, but seemed to radiate off her in waves that never failed to infect anyone that was near her.

The four of them sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast, the playfulness of the previous morning had all but vanished under the gaze of Mrs. Carlin and Ashley had to be content with just sneaking glances at Spencer from behind her cup of coffee.

"I thought I'd take Spencer to the opera today. There's a brilliant new piece by Marcus Van Buren that was just placed. So don't worry about making us lunch or dinner Anabelle, we're having dinner with a client of mine tonight."

"Okay, Mrs. Carlin."

Ashley was relieved...sad that she wouldn't be seeing Spencer all day, but relieved that the ice cap that seemed to have landed on the house would be gone for the day. She warily took a quick glance at Spencer's face and couldn't help the amused smirk that landed on her face, the look on Spencer's face reminded her of a kid being forced by his parents to go to the dentist.

"Ashley feel free to explore the grounds if you haven't already done so, the town is about two miles from here and there is an extensive array of antiques shops that are very interesting." Paula seemed to be intent on subtly judging Ashley as she spoke.

Ashley nodded politely, she hated to say it but there was no way an antique shop would ever hold her attention. Now if she'd point the way to a place that wasn't filled with things more than a hundred years old, that's including the customers of course, then maybe she'd be entertained...perhaps a mall?

"That sounds good, Mrs. Carlin. I'll definitely see if I can spare some time to go and check them out."

Lies.

From the corner of her eye Ashley could see both Spencer and Anabelle smirking, and felt a little annoyed that they could see right through her and her fake interest in antiques.

Ashley was helping Anabelle clean up in the kitchen when Spencer walked in looking elegant in a simple, knee-length black dress and her hair tied up in a bun. Walking slowly over to them, Ashley marveled at how she always looked so effortlessly attractive, and was surprised to find a hint of jealousy seeping into her as she thought of all the people she would be mingling with, who'd have the chance to admire her all day long.

"Ashley, would you mind walking me out while I wait for my mother?" Spencer asked.

"Not at all." Ashley replied, taking her arm in hers and leading her out the front doors.

They stood on the steps taking in the burst of sunlight that was splashing on them despite the cool weather.

"Okay...so I'm not gonna try and pretend that I wouldn't rather be staying here with you today." Spencer said softly, looking off into the sun.

Ashley's heart stopped. She looked over to Spencer who was still gazing off into the sun and nervously playing with her fingers.

"The other night...when we kissed...it was...well, it was one of the best nights of my life."

Spencer continued breathlessly. "And I'm not sure how you feel about me, but I'm attracted to you, I can't deny that. I can't deny that I get butterflies every time you touch me, that I sometimes want to ask you stupid, random questions just so that I can hear the sound of your voice...that I miss you when I go to bed at night." Spencer said the last part so softly that Ashley almost missed it...almost.

Ashley placed her hand gently against Spencer's face, turning it towards her and gently stroking her cheek.

"Spencer...can we...I mean, will you be with me. I know I'm not good enough for you."

"Ashley..."

"No, I know I'm not good enough for you, I know it. But I wanna try, I wanna be good enough for you because the truth of the matter is I can't stay away from you. I can't really explain the way I feel because it's something I've never been good at, but I think... what I'm trying to say is, will you..."

"Yes."

Ashley beamed at her, slightly mesmerized by the curve of her lips as they curled up into a smile.

"Spencer are you ready to go?"

They were both startled out of their daze by the sound of Paula Carlin behind them.

"Yes, I'm ready." Spencer called out. "I'll see you soon?" Spencer asked leaning almost instinctively closer to Ashley.

"Yeah, you'll see me soon." Ashley smiled.

Ashley watched as Paula lead Spencer down the steps and towards her shiny BMW.

"Have fun at the opera Spencer!" Ashley called out as she was being helped into the car, getting the desired effect of the cute forlorn look reappearing on Spencer's face she made her way back into the house.

"I take it Spencer's not much of an Opera fan then?" Ashley asked Anabelle as she entered the kitchen.

"No not really, she's into softer music. Less loud screaming, more strings and quartets." Anabelle replied, leaning back against the kitchen counter.

"But she's still going?" Ashley asked, eyebrow raised.

"Anytime with her mom is time for Spencer, honestly Mrs. Carlin spends more time on planes than she does with Spencer."

"Why would she do that? Spencer's amazing."

"I know." Anabelle replied after a short pause.

Ashley got the feeling that maybe she had said the wrong thing, and felt a slight flush come over her. She recovered quickly.

"Um, so what are your plans for today?"

"Well I've got to stop in town for a bit to pick up a few things but then after that I'm not really sure." Anabelle said, eyes looking interestedly into Ashley's.

"I was wondering if maybe you wanted to hang out for a bit? I figured I'd try and see if I could finish a couple of songs I've been working on but if you wanna stop by my room sometime if you're free we could watch a movie or something."

"Yeah that sounds good." Anabelle nodded, making her way around Ashley and out the kitchen entrance.

Ashley entered her room with a sense of accomplishment. These past few days she'd had the feeling that Anabelle was being somewhat hostile, but maybe getting to know each other better would help lay those feelings to rest, Ashley certainly hoped so.

A knock on her door startled Ashley out of her guitar playing, she didn't know how long she had been playing but a quick glance at the clock on the wall told her that it had been more than a couple hours.

"Come in."

"Hey, I brought snacks." Anabelle walked in carrying a tray of pizza and a jug of lemonade.

"You definitely know the way to a girls heart." Ashley laughed.

"Yeah, a lot of people seem to think it's diamonds but I know the stomach's where it's at," she smiled.

Ashley set the things down on the table while Anabelle went to go get some glasses and napkins.

"Did you make this pizza yourself?" Ashley asked as Anabelle walked back into the room.

"Trust me, I make everything myself...because I'm a culinary genius."

"And modest too, I see.." Ashley laughed as Anabelle sat next to her and they tucked into the pizza.

"So, Spencer told me about the potential record deal, are you excited?"

"This is gonna sound kinda stupid, but I honestly don't know. I mean I should be excited, I've been practically waiting for this my whole life."

"Maybe you've been waiting for something else too."

Ashley looked at her, both of them keeping eye contact, silently speaking with their eyes.

"Maybe I have...but how do I know what I really want?"

"Ashley, I can't answer that for you. Sometimes, things, situations, happen and they confuse the hell out of us. But when it comes down to it, we don't always get what we want in life so when the opportunity comes you've got to grab it before it disappears." Anabelle was watching Ashley intently and her gaze wasn't lost on Ashley.

"Ashley...about Spencer..."

"I don't wanna talk about it." Ashley replied quickly.

"You have to talk about it sometime Ashley." Anabelle sighed. "My mom would always say to me "el silencio nunca es facil"

"What does that mean?" Ashley asked.

"Silence is never easy." Anabelle smiled. "Did you ever learn any languages?"

"No!" Ashley laughed. "Let's just say academics wasn't exactly my talent. My mom always told me that if I actually ever tried I could be brilliant. But don't all parents say that to their children?" Ashley smiled.

There was silence for a moment before Anabelle spoke again.

"I think you could be brilliant, and if you wanted something badly enough you'd probably get it. That's what scares me."

Anabelle's comment held Ashley in silence for a moment.

"Why does that scare you?" She asked tentatively.

"What if what you get isn't something I want you to have?" Anabelle replied looking directly at Ashley.

Ashley immediately thought of Spencer, of the new relationship they were starting together.

"What don't you want me to have, Anabelle?"

Anabelle turned away from Ashley, ignoring the question that was asked.

"So, we should probably get started on those movies, which one's first?"

Hotcutii3: lol, I'm sorry, I love suspense!

Xxashleyluver4lifexX: Thanks! Keep reading, there's gonna be a lot more dimensions to Ashley and Spencer's relationship.

Gentry: I know, there's always something getting in the way lol, thanks for the review:)

River. R: Thank you! I didn't disappear or anything, I'm just a bit of a procrastinator! Anabelle is definitely intriguing and throughout the next chapters her character will have more light shed on her.

xxMandyxx: Hope you enjoyed this update:)

XSamXStutterzX: I am back!! Hopefully I can start updating on a regular basis this year!...It's one of my new year's resolutions lol:)

Uber-Monster: Anabelle is definitely a character to watch, I think we'll be learning more about her soon.

Coachkimm: I hope I'll busy writing updates for all of you guys to read...hopefully:)

Momo The Great: Wow, loving the both of them having powers theory...but you're just gonna have to wait and find out:)

lexj: No problem, hope you liked this chapter.

spashley20: yeah the madison/ashley background story is something to look out for, it'll definitely give you more of an insight into Ashley's past.

xEyeKissedAGirlx: Let me know what you thought of this chapter:)

Vanessa Riverton: Smexxi!?? Now that's a word I think I'll be using more often lol!

Pendulum666: Thank you! I'm glad my laptops back in tiptop condition because I'm seriously a retard without it...as embarrassing as it is to say, I think my computer rules my life!

Ivory Slayer: Thanks for the compliment, I appreciate it:)

EmOmErMaIdArYel: Glad you liked it!

Videl1212: I'm not sure if they really talked about the kiss in this chapter, but I think they've sort of realized what's going on between them so it's kind of a mutual unspoken understanding...if that makes sense.

Conscious: I LOVE it when I get comments like yours, it kind of feels good to know that you made someone's day, so thanks!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter:)

HaleyxxBrookeAAF: Haha, Anabelle is mine so don't touch! Tsk Tsk, breaking the rules I see lol. Congratulations on making it to the championships, when I played basketball we almost made it to the championships...the key word is almost LOL! As for the Hot Tub Scene, who doesn't love hot girls in bathing suits?:)

chloedarko: Yes!! My plan is working! Just kidding, I'm not intentionally trying to kill you with curiosity, but Spencer turning out to not be blind would be pretty funny:)

Paulinne-V: Thank you so much!!:) I'm glad you joined to leave me a review, I hope you really enjoyed this chapter and are liking the way the story's going. And your English doesn't suck, it's actually pretty good. My name's Pacita, it's nice to meet you:)

charmedcrazy14: lol, thanks. And I can't really blame you for taking a while to review because it takes me forever to update sometimes! Spashley cuteness...all day...every day:)

ladytink2011: Thank you, keep reading!:)

Bobbyjohn: lol, I'll try to update more often. And thanks for the review, I hope you liked this chapter!